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Personnel with the Bartlesville Fire Department have returned from the Oklahoma Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators' annual conference.

Training and Public Information Officer Bill Hollander was in charge of the conference, which was held at the Hard Rock in Tulsa on Wednesday, Oct. 23rd through Friday, Oct. 25th. He said he enjoyed being the host of the conference.

There was some pressure felt, but Hollander said he had 11 other board members to rely on. While he held the title of host, he said it was not all about him. The entire board pitches in.

Now that this year's IAAI Conference is over, they can start in on next year's function. Hollander said he believes next year’s Oklahoma Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigator’s Conference will be held in Oklahoma City. He said it will be held towards the end of October again. Next year will also see Hollander as the president of the organization.

120 firefighters in all attended the conference this year. Hollander said the conference helped fire departments like Bartlesville meet their CLEET obligations and more.

A speaker even came to the conference from Denver. Other topics firefighters learned included equipment and auto theft, and how to identify stolen and burned vehicles, which was put on by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Experts also taught them how to obtain information from vehicle infotainment consoles and vehicle computers, conducting forensic interviews, marijuana grow house fires and fire forensics and fatality investigations.

Hollander said the IAAI Conference in Tulsa was a tested conference. He said they wanted to make sure everyone retained the knowledge that they learned in the three-day event. Everyone passed with ease.