A 26-year veteran of the fire services industry, Mr. Lamar Childress is a Certified Fire Investigator (CFI), Fire Investigation Technician (FIT), and holds the Motor Fire Vehicle Endorsement through the International Association of Arson Investigators. He is also a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) and Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator (CVFI) through the National Association of Fire Investigators.

He has also completed the Fire/Arson Investigation course at the National Fire Academy. Mr. Childress is also a Fire Inspector I-II Certified through the International Code Council and is licensed as a Fire Codes Inspector in the State of Tennessee. He is a certified Hazardous Materials Technician and Life Safety Compliance Officer I- II through the Tennessee Commission on Firefighting.

The last 18 years have been spent conducting origin and cause investigations and analyses of fire and explosion incidents as the Fire Marshal for the City of Jackson, Tennessee. His responsibilities include supervision and management of on-scene fire investigations, criminal follow-up investigations of incendiary fires, and development of the fire prevention program for the department.

As a forensic fire expert, he conducts on-scene investigation and analysis of fire and explosion incidents including origin and cause determination. He has also served as a witness, providing testimony in fire-related court proceedings.

• Certified Fire Investigator: International Association of Arson Investigators

• Motor Vehicle Fire Endorsement: International Association of Arson Investigators

• Fire Investigation Technician: International Association of Arson Investigators

• Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator: National Association of Fire Investigators

• Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator: National Association of Fire Investigators

• Fire Inspector I & II: International Code Council

• Hazardous Materials Technician: State of Tennessee

• Incident Safety Officer: Tennessee Commission on Firefighting

• Life Safety Compliance Officer I & II: Tennessee Commission on Firefighting

• Licensed Fire Codes Inspector: Tennessee (#1285)

• Licensed Private Investigator: Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky

• Memberships: International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI); Member of the Tennessee Advisory Committee on Arson (TACA); Member of the National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI); Tennessee Chapter of the IAAI