About Joseph W. Konefal Jr.

Konefal is a retired Supervising Bomb Technician and Arson Investigator from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CAL FIRE, Office of the State Fire Marshal, Arson/Bomb Unit. He investigated fires and explosions and conducted render safe operations on improvised explosive devices at more than 800 incidents in a thirty-one year career. Among those cases, Joe investigated more than 60 fatal fires of every type. He currently has forty years of experience within the arson/bomb world and is recognized internationally as an instructor on many related subjects. Joe has testified on arson and explosive cases as an expert witness on sixty-five occasions in state and federal courts.

Joe spent several years as a teaching member of the Forensic Fire Death Investigation Course in San Luis Obispo, CA. He was involved in conducting live burns of medical cadavers in various scenarios followed by the investigation and analysis of those burn sites by hundreds of student investigators from the fields of arson, homicide, and coroner investigations. He is the Lead Instructor for California POST (Peace Officers Standards and Training), Institute of Criminal Investigations, Arson and Explosives Course, and Homicide (Fire Death) Course. Joe is currently a consultant, case reviewer, and instructor in fire, arson, fire death, and explosion fields. 

Joe Konefal can be contacted at joekonefal@gmail.com