CFI (FAA) study plan
CFI · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Origin and Cause Determination & Fire Chemistry, Physics, and Fire Dynamics
Build a one-page fire-behavior cheat sheet covering ignition, flame spread, ventilation-limited vs. fuel-limited burning, and flashover indicators
Diagram the NFPA 921 scientific method steps and map each step to a specific origin-and-cause task
Classify 20 fire-damage patterns (V-patterns, char depth, spalling, melting) by the direction and duration of heat exposure they imply
Explain the difference between fire cause, cause classification (accidental, incendiary, undetermined), and responsibility in a written paragraph
Your checkpoint
A 2-page 'Fire Dynamics → Fire Patterns → Cause Hypothesis' reference sheet plus a 10-question self-quiz scored at 80% or better
Origin and Cause Determination & Scene Examination, Documentation, and Evidence Handling
Apply the origin-determination sequence (exterior, interior, room of origin, area of origin, point of origin) to three written scenario descriptions and state the point of origin for each
Construct a systematic exterior-to-interior scene examination checklist covering utilities, security features, and entry damage
Differentiate accidental heat sources from potential incendiary sources using a written comparison table with at least 12 entries
Practice documenting a scene in writing: produce a narrative description plus photo log entries for a hypothetical room using the standard photo-log fields (number, direction, subject, scale)
Your checkpoint
A completed mock origin-and-cause report (2–3 pages) for a scenario, including origin conclusion, cause classification, and photo log
Scene Examination, Documentation, and Evidence Handling & Origin and Cause Determination
Outline evidence-chain-of-custody procedures and draft a sample custody form with all required fields
Distinguish collection, packaging, and preservation requirements for physical, chemical (accelerant), and electronic evidence
Identify at least eight common scene-documentation failures and state how each weakens a cause determination
Re-examine the week 2 mock report and revise it to remove unsupported conclusions and add hypothesis-testing language
Your checkpoint
Revised mock report plus a one-page chain-of-custody and evidence-packaging standard operating procedure
Building Construction, Utilities, and Fire Protection Systems & Fire Chemistry, Physics, and Fire Dynamics
Compare the fire-resistance and failure behavior of the major construction types (Type I through Type V) in a written matrix
Explain how building utilities - electrical service, gas, water, HVAC - can act as ignition sources or fire-spread pathways
Trace the operation of active protection systems (suppression, detection, standpipes, smoke control) and describe how their performance or failure informs cause analysis
Predict fire spread and structural collapse indicators for two building types given a written scenario description
Your checkpoint
A building-systems matrix plus a timed 25-question practice set on Domains 1 and 2, with a written review of every missed item
Electrical Systems and Appliance/Vehicle Fire Analysis & Explosions and Explosive Combustion
Explain electrical fundamentals (overcurrent, arcing, resistance heating, grounding faults) and match each to the fire patterns it produces
Diagnose the difference between arc beads from a cause versus arc damage from a result, and describe the evidence needed to tell them apart
Outline a vehicle fire examination sequence covering fuel systems, electrical systems, catalytic components, and post-collision scenarios
Distinguish deflagration from detonation and identify at least six explosion damage indicators and their interpretation
Describe explosive-combustion evidence including blast patterns, fragmentation, and pressure effects on structures
Your checkpoint
An electrical/appliance/vehicle/explosion diagnostic reference table linking evidence signatures to probable failure modes
Interviews, Witness Statements, and Investigative Reporting & Codes, Standards, and the Scientific Method (NFPA 921 / NFPA 1033)
Draft a witness interview plan including objective, question sequence, open-to-closed funneling, and documentation format
Differentiate interview from interrogation and identify the point at which Miranda or custody considerations arise
Apply NFPA 1033's knowledge requirements to self-audit against a written checklist of the 16 job-performance areas
Convert investigative notes into a formal report that separates observation, data, analysis, and conclusion
Your checkpoint
A complete interview plan plus a formatted investigative report on a scenario, reviewed against an NFPA 1033 self-audit checklist
Legal Issues, Liability, and Expert Testimony & Safety, Ethics, and Case Management
Summarize the Daubert and Frye standards and articulate how each shapes an origin-and-cause opinion
Draft direct-examination answers to five anticipated cross-examination challenges about methodology and bias
Identify the ethical duties around objectivity, spoliation, and disclosure of exculpatory findings
Build a case-management checklist covering intake, budgeting, file organization, and report deadlines
Conduct a personal safety plan review for scene work including hazard assessment, PPE, and utility isolation
Your checkpoint
A mock expert-testimony outline plus a one-page case-management and scene-safety checklist
Origin and Cause Determination & Scene Examination, Documentation, and Evidence Handling & Building Construction, Utilities, and Fire Protection Systems & Fire Chemistry, Physics, and Fire Dynamics & Electrical Systems and Appliance/Vehicle Fire Analysis & Explosions and Explosive Combustion & Interviews, Witness Statements, and Investigative Reporting & Codes, Standards, and the Scientific Method (NFPA 921 / NFPA 1033) & Legal Issues, Liability, and Expert Testimony & Safety, Ethics, and Case Management
Complete two full-length timed practice exams and log every missed item by domain
Re-drill only the two lowest-scoring domains until each reaches 80% or better
Recite from memory the NFPA 921 methodology, cause classifications, and the NFPA 1033 knowledge areas
Assemble a single consolidated one-page-per-domain summary set for final review
Your checkpoint
A final weak-area tracker showing every domain at 80% or better on timed practice, plus the consolidated summary set
Milestones
Week 4: Score 80% or better on a 25-question timed set covering Domains 1 and 2, and submit a completed mock origin-and-cause report that survives a self-review for unsupported conclusions
Week 6: Produce a written self-audit against all NFPA 1033 knowledge areas with any gap flagged, and score 75% or better on a mixed set from Domains 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8
Week 8: Achieve 80% or better on two full-length timed practice exams and on every individual domain in the final weak-area tracker