I began my professional fire service
career in 1981 as a firefighter with the San Diego Fire
Department. In 1989 I was selected to be a member of San
Diego's Metro Arson Strike Team and am currently a Metro Arson
Strike Team supervising captain.
In 1998 I became a licensed Private
Investigator (Fred Herrera Fire Investigations) and worked as
a Certified Fire Investigator with Engineering & Fire
Investigations from 1999 to 2006. I am currently the owner /
operator of Fred Herrera Fire Investigations,
serving Southern California.
Along the way I set goals to develop my
investigative skills. I became a Certified Fire Investigator
(CFI) through the California State Fire Marshal (CSFM), the
California Conference of Arson Investigators (CCAI), the
International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI), the
National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI), and the
National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications
(NBFSPQ).
I have published fire investigation
articles in local, state, national, and international publications
and authored a monthly Arson Investigation column in 1st Responder
Newspaper. I have instructed fire investigation for police
and fire academies, the community college, insurance industry,
regional and state-level training for the California branch of the
IAAI, and the Firehouse World Expo.
Over the last nineteen years I
have investigated well over three thousand fires,
but I stopped counting a long time ago. Experience is a very
important aspect to origin and cause investigations,
but gaining experience goes well beyond responding to
the scene. Successful investigators have to be current
with investigative issues and use available technology and
advances to make investigations more efficient and
professional. The bottom line is this; an investigator
must be able to deliver the goods when it's time to
litigate.
I strive to provide professional
origin & cause fire investigations along with great
customer service for the client and the insured. All
investigations are in compliance with NFPA 1033 Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire
Investigator and NFPA 921
Guide for Fire and Explosion
Investigations.
Call Fred Herrera at
760.805.3842 | 
