It is with great sadness that I report that Carter D. Roberts peacefully died the morning of January 15, 2021. Carter was the founder, president and CEO of Unified Investigations & Sciences - a national forensics firm in fire and explosion investigations. Carter served that business as its president from 1994 to 2010, and as its chairman until 2011. Unified rebranded as EFI Global in 2018.

Carter played football at Auburn University from 1962 to 1965, graduated from Samford University with BSc and MBA degrees, served the Bessemer Police Dept , was a private pilot, and an avid hunter. Carter, a longtime member of International Association of Arson Investigators, is a legend in the fire investigations industry and is dearly missed by family and friends. We mourn his passing and celebrate his life. Carter’s entrepreneurial efforts and his unique propensity to provide niche services created many jobs. Cheers to his life.

Carter was also President of INS Investigations Bureau, a division of GAB Robins from 1979 to 1994, which also later rebranded as EFI Global. He was also founder, president and CEO of Alsatian Security Services. Late in his career he was founder and CEO of International Fire Investigations Research Institute and his final professional role was as executive general manager of Firensics, A Haag Global Company. Carter was a serial entrepreneur, a regular speaker at claims industry events and also authored numerous articles for publication in trade publications. Carter contributed greatly to the #fireinvestigation profession and his marks on the claims industry are indelible.

Jim Mazerat
Forensic Investigations Group