Gary Farge, IAAI-CFI, CFEI, CVFI (TX & LA License)
Fire Investigator - Sugarland/Houston Area
Gary Farge has over 27 years of experience in fire origin and cause determination. He is a Certified Fire Investigator with the IAAI, a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator, and a Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator with the NAFI. His background includes 20 years with the Houston Fire Department as a firefighter, Engineer/Operator, and Arson Investigator. He has spent the last 20 years investigating fires in civil matters for the insurance industry, attorneys, and product manufacturers. Mr. Farge has testified as an expert witness multiple times in both state and federal courts. He is a licensed private investigator in Texas and Louisiana.
Education
Houston Fire Training Academy, Houston, Texas, 1979
Texas Department of Health, Emergency Medical Technician, Houston, Texas, 1991
Texas Commission on Fire Protection, Course for Fire and Arson Investigator, Houston, Texas, 1996
Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education, Peace officer, 1997
Criminal System Orientation, Justice Information Management System of Harris County, Texas, 1997
Basic Crisis Response Team Training, Houston Police Department, Texas, 1997
Practical Kinesic Interview and Interrogation Techniques, San Antonio, Texas, 1998
Texas Crime Information Center Course, TCIC, Houston Police Department, Texas, 1999
National Crime Information Center Course, NCIC, Houston Police Department, Texas, 1999
Police Proficiency 3232 and 3939, Houston Community College, Texas, 2000
Additional Education
Texas A&M University System, East Texas Arson Investigators Seminar, Longview, Texas, 2002-2006
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, The Scientific Method for Fire and Explosion Investigation, (tested), 2007
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Insurance and the Fire Investigator, (tested), 2007
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Investigating Motor Vehicle Fires, (tested), 2007
Public Agency Training Council, Electrical Fire/Arson Investigation, Denton, Texas, (tested), 2008
Texas A&M University System, Annual East Texas Arson Investigators Seminar, Longview, Texas, 2008
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Post-Flashover Fires, (tested), 2008
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Arc Mapping Basics, (tested), 2009
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Utilizing NFPA 1033 and 921, (tested), 2009
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Determining Responsibility in an Arson Case, (tested), 2009
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Evidence Examination: What Happens in the Lab, (tested), 2010
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Physical Evidence at the Fire Scene, (tested), 2010
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Analysis of the Station Nightclub Fire, (tested), 2011
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Critical Thinking Solves Cases, (tested), 2011
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Documenting the Event, (tested), 2011
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, 2011 NFPA 921 Changes, (tested), 2011
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Explosion Dynamics, (tested), 2012
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Ethics and the Fire Investigator, (tested), 2012
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Electrical Safety, (tested), 2012
OSHA, 40 Hour HAZWOPER, (tested), 2012
Public Agency Training Council, Meeting the Requirements of NFPA 1033, (tested), 2013
PI Education, Industry Ethics and Laws for Private Investigators, 2015
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Fire Investigator Scene Safety, (tested), 2015
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, NFPA & Your Career, (tested), 2016
PI Education, An Investigator’s Guide to Forensic Photography, 2016
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Ethical Duties Beyond the Fire Scene, (tested), 2017
Public Agency Training Council, Hands-On Vehicle Fire/Arson Investigation, (tested), 2017
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Thermometry, Heat, & Heat Transfer, (tested), 2018
PI Education, Insurance Investigations from A to Z, (tested), 2018
IAAI, 2018 ITC General Session, (tested)
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Fire Protection Systems, (tested), 2019
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Introduction to Fire Dynamics & Modeling, (tested), 2019
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Understanding Fire Through the Candle Experiments, (tested), 2019
Public Agency Training Council, NFPA 1033 JPR Demonstrating Compliance for Fire Investigators, (tested), 2019
IAAI, CFI Trainer Program, Principles of Fire Investigation Multi-Program, (tested), 2020
PI Education, Ethics & Professional Responsibility for Texas Investigators, (tested), 2020
How First Responders Impact the Fire Scene, (tested), 2023
Fire Effects Part 1: Heat Effects on Fuels, (tested), 2023
Fire Effects Part 2: Combustion By-Products Effects, (tested), 2023
Alternative Fuel Vehicles (tested), 2024
Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Fires (tested), 2024
Professional Societies
NAFI, National Association of Fire Investigators
IAAI, International Association of Arson Investigators
National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications
Certifications
IAAI, CFI, Certified Fire Investigator, Registration No. 03-117
NAFI, CFEI, Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator, Registration No. 7462-2855
NAFI, CVFI, Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator, Registration No. 7462-2855
Louisiana Board of Private Investigator Examiners, Private Investigator, License No. 8969-091916-LA
Texas Commission on Private Security, Private Investigator, License No. A04666
Texas State Certified Arson Investigator (Retired)
Texas State Certified Peace Officer (Retired)
Qualifications
Origin and cause investigation; residential and commercial buildings, automobiles, diesel trucks, heavy machinery, marine vessels, warehouses, hotels, motels, apartment complexes, and oil wells. Twenty-fire years fire, explosion, and arson causation investigation and lightning strike determination. Experience in conducting multiple fire investigations in Central America and Mexico. Twenty years of firefighting experience with the Houston Fire Department which included courses and training in fire science, fire protection systems, hazardous materials, fire service salvage and overhaul, emergency management, incident command systems, live-fire training, personal protective equipment, and self-contained breathing apparatus, fire apparatus pump operations, rescue, portable fire extinguishers, forcible entry, emergency service communications, and pre-fire survey.
Twenty-five years experience in residential and commercial construction as a professional home builder, general contractor, and carpenter. Work that included build-out of commercial office space including laboratories. This experience included obtaining building permits and familiarization with city building, electrical, and plumbing codes.
Experience
2016-Present Fire Origin and Cause Investigator / Consultant, S.C. Fire Consulting, Inc., Houston, Texas
2011-2016 Fire Origin and Cause Investigator, EFI Global, Humble, Texas
2001-2011 Special Investigator, Fire Cause Investigations (FCI), Houston, Texas
1996-2000 Arson Investigator, Houston Arson Bureau, Houston, Texas
1991-1996 Engineer / Operator, Houston Fire Department, Houston, Texas
1980-1991 Firefighter, Houston Fire Department, Houston, Texas