ANNUAL MFEIA CONFERENCE OCEAN CITY MAY 5-6, 2025
LOCATION: Ocean City Fire Department Headquarters
1409 Philadelphia Avenue, Ocean City, MD 21842
DATE/TIME: May 5-6, 2025, beginning at 8 am on both days.
The Maryland Fire and Explosives Investigators Association (MFEIA) invites you to join us for our Spring Training Conference, a two-day training event designed to enhance investigative skills and safety protocols in fire and explosion investigations.
This year’s program will cover topics such as NFPA 921 updates, fire investigator safety, investigative tools and techniques and a serial arson case study. See the additional details below!
Who Should Attend?
This course is designed for anyone conducting or supervising origin and cause investigations in both the public and private sectors. Whether you’re a fire investigator, law enforcement officer, insurance professional, or legal expert, this training will provide practical skills and knowledge essential to your role.
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain critical insights, network with industry professionals, and enhance your investigative expertise.
Schedule
May 5th 8:00 AM
Safety and the Fire Investigator
The focus will be on scene safety using the scientific method to identify hazards, conduct a risk assessment and action plan and utilizing the hierarchy of controls while conducting a scene exam. Additional emphasis will be on documentation and practical ways to implement reasonable guidelines while working alone.
This course will review chapter 13 of NFPA 921 and incorporate the requirements established in NFPA 1321 for fire investigation units (FIU’s) relating to health and safety. This course is for anyone conducting or supervising origin and cause investigations in both the public and private sectors.
1:00 PM
Leveraging MVA Data for Investigative Purposes
This presentation will explore the extensive investigative resources available through the Maryland Vehicle Administration (MVA) and the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC), demonstrating how these tools aid law enforcement in identifying individuals and vehicles connected to criminal activity.
Beyond MVA data, MCAC provides law enforcement with additional intelligence tools that support criminal investigations. These resources help track vehicle movements, verify employment and income records, and access critical information related to criminal activity, firearm tracing, mapping, and public records research. By utilizing these tools, investigators can connect seemingly unrelated pieces of information to form a clearer picture of a suspect’s activities and movements.
To illustrate the real-world impact of these resources, the presentation will conclude with case studies demonstrating how investigators have successfully pieced together information to identify individuals and vehicles used in criminal activities. These success stories highlight the effectiveness of leveraging these databases to solve cases, disrupt criminal networks, and enhance public safety.
May 6th 8:00 AM
Case Study - John Orr Serial Arsonist
Retired ATF Special Agent Michael Matassa will present a case study regarding the John Orr serial arson investigation. Orr a former Fire Captain and arson investigator was convicted of murder, and serial arson. He was believed to have set nearly 2,000 fires.
1:00 PM
NFPA 921 Update and Emerging Tools for Investigators
ATF Special Agent CFI/NFPA 921 Committee Member Adam St. John will provide an overview of important changes and updates made to the 2024 Edition of NFPA 921: Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The class will detail updates regarding fire classifications, supporting fire origin and cause hypothesis testing with data (showing your work), and future trends/updates to the guide. ATF CFI St. John will highlight several case studies featuring emerging tools to glean additional scene data via field fire testing, electronic data sources, and scene documentation technology.
Presenters
TOM POLERA
Mr. Tom Polera is a 45-year Public Safety professional. His extensive knowledge includes experience as an origin and cause investigator, an emergency manager and law enforcement fire marshal. He completed careers with Arlington County (VA) Fire and the City of Falls Church (VA) Police. He is a Certified Public Manager and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Safety.
Mr. Polera’s notable incidents including the 1982 Air Florida Crash, the Pentagon on 9/11 and as an ATF Task Force member in the investigation of the D.C. Serial Arson case in 2005. Mr. Polera currently serves as a Senior Investigator with the FirePoint Group, LLC.
ADAM ST. JOHN
Adam St. John has proudly supported ATF Arson Programs since graduating from the University of Maryland Department of Fire Protection Engineering in 2008. Adam is a licensed Professional Fire Protection Engineer, ATF Certified Fire Investigator, ATF Special Agent, and voting alternate member of the NFPA 921 Technical Committee. Adam has instructed on behalf of ATF on over 100 occasions, including international conferences in the fields of fire protection engineering and fire investigation. Adam has published peer reviewed professional fire research and has testified as an expert witness in criminal court on behalf of ATF.
Adam has produced multiple complex computer fire modeling forensic timelines featured by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. In recognition of his professional service, Adam has received the ATF Special Agent Life Saving Award for treating/transporting an officer struck by gunfire, as well as the statewide firefighting Outstanding Act of Heroism award on two separate occasions for fireground rescues. Adam spent approximately a decade at the ATF Fire Research Laboratory as Fire Protection Engineer/ATF National Response Team member prior to undertaking the ATF Special Agent/Certified Fire Investigator training program in 2018.
MIKE MATASSA
Mr. Matassa is a retired ATF Special Agent with a distinguished career in federal law enforcement spanning nearly three decades. A Pennsylvania native, Matassa earned his degree from Penn State before embarking on a lifelong commitment to public service.
His career began in 1980 as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in Los Angeles, where he served for three years before joining the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in 1983. Over the next 25 years, he worked in both Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., specializing in arson investigations and law enforcement operations.
A Certified Fire Investigator (CFI) since 1978, Matassa further honed his expertise with certifications in California (1989) and through ATF (1991). He played a pivotal role as a Special Agent in the Los Angeles Arson Task Force from 1987 to 1992, later rising to the position of Resident Agent in Charge from 2005 to 2008.
After retiring from the ATF in 2008, Matassa continued his work in federal investigations as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice. For 15 years, he specialized in money laundering and hidden asset identification, lending his expertise to ATF operations until 2023.
GRAHAM BURTON
Graham is a criminal intelligence analyst with the Maryland Department of State Police and currently assigned to the Criminal Intelligence Section with the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC).
Hotel Information
Holiday Inn Oceanfront
6600 Coastal Highway
Ocean City, Maryland 21842
410-449-1003
*$99 per night, paid parking ($10), group room blocks do not include kids eat free program.
Quality Inn Boardwalk Ocean City
1601 Atlantic Avenue
Ocean City, Maryland 21842-4189
410-289-4401
*$125 per night, complimentary parking, group room blocks do not include kids eat free program.
Hampton Inn and Suites Ocean City/Bayfront Convention Center
4310 Coastal Highway
Ocean City, Maryland 21842
410-524-6263
*complimentary parking
See the link below for details regarding this hotel...
Use the code MFEIA or Maryland Fire and Explosive Investigators Association and reserve by April 4, 2025 for the best rates. Contact chapter secretary Mark Selke with any questions or concerns at 301-428-1067.
Become a member or register for this training online at www.MFEIA.org
Please contact MDfeiaiaai@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.
