I have taken the depositions of hundreds of fire investigators. It is amazing the number who look you in the eye and say they have the requisite knowledge of the 16 topics listed in 1033 and then are utterly incapable of giving basic explanations of those topics.

I deposed a investigator today. It was the same old thing. If you investigate a fire and someone can go to prison, lose an insurance claim or be executed and you can't explain basic concepts then you have no business being a fire investigator.

It always amazes me when the investigator or opposing counsel whine that it is unfair of me to ask for "definitions." Asking someone to explain a concept that are required to know is not asking for a definition nor is it unfair.

Would you hire a lawyer to try a case who can't explain what a deposition is?
How about a doctor who needs to look up the definition of a myocardial infarction.

Fire investigators are held to such a low standard to begin with, the only explanation I can come up with as to why so many still can't their understanding of basic concepts is that they are either stupid, lazy or both.