2023 SCIAAI 2nd Quarter Training
Preparing for Expert Testimony
June 1, 2023
Training Location will be at the
South Carolina Fire Academy
141 Monticello Trail
Columbia, South Carolina, 29203
Check-in will be from 7:30 AM until 8:00 AM
The S.C. Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators (SCIAAI) is proud to announce the 2023 2nd Quarter Training Seminar. The instructor will be Teresa Postell.
Ms. Postell is a Special Deputy Attorney General with the North Carolina Department of Justice. Ms. Postell represents the state of North Carolina, handling criminal cases in the United States Supreme Court, the North Carolina Supreme Court, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the Superior Courts, and the Federal District Courts in North Carolina. Because of her expertise, she has also assisted the Special Prosecutions Section in trial proceedings and serves as the North Carolina Attorney General's appointee to the State Fire and Rescue Commission.
Before joining the NC DOJ in 2012, as a prosecutor for twelve years, Ms. Postell handled thousands of criminal cases, including the most heinous crimes of murder, arson, and rape. In addition, she served as the dedicated Arson and Sex Offense Prosecutor, Juvenile Multi-Disciplinary Child Sex Prosecutor, and the District Attorney's Office Liaison with the State of North Carolina's Mental Health Hospital.
Ms. Postell is a resource for fire investigators, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, other attorneys, and other agencies during the response, investigation, trial preparation, appeal, and post-conviction phases of criminal cases. Ms. Postell also teaches and lectures locally, statewide, and nationally and is a contract instructor for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the National Fire Academy, and is a Certified Legal Instructor for Basic Law Enforcement Training.
This course will provide information to public and private sector fire investigators who will testify in court proceedings as potential expert witnesses. The course will deliver information on the necessary qualifications of an expert witness, what the courts will expect of an expert witness and guidelines that may be used by the courts to qualify individuals as expert witnesses. In addition, the course will provide information on courtroom procedures, testimonial skills, examples from prior cases, and ongoing and emerging issues involving expert witnesses that occur in courts with expert witnesses.
The training will be based on NFPA 921, 2021 edition, Chapter 12 Legal Considerations. This training is scheduled for a minimum of 8 contact hours. Furthermore, testing options will be discussed at the training event. There will be no charge for members, and the non-member attendance fee is $100.
The lunchroom at the fire academy will be closed during this course, so lunch is on your own. Pre-registration is required. Register online at www.sciaai.org. The cut-off date for registration is Friday, May 27, 2023. Non-member attendance must be pre-approved by the SCIAAI Board. Pending applicants are to pay a "member fee" to attend. Those wishing to apply for SCIAAI membership can download an application from the website at www.sciaai.org.
