 Arizona Chapter of the IAAI |
| President Term: 2025-2026 Committee Chair: Finance Special Agent Arizona Attorney General's Office Jeff was an arson detective for 20 years with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. As a SA with the Arizona Attorney General's Office, and continues to serve by providing fire investigation assistance and support when requested. Jeff holds a Master of Science Forensic Science degree from Oklahoma State University, with a concentration on fire and explosion investigations as well as a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona. |
| 1st Vice President Term: 2025-2026 Officer for Flagstaff PD starting in 1996. Worked as Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer and Swat Officer for 4.5 years. Hired by Flagstaff Fire Department and worked as Fire Fighter, Arson Investigator, TLO, and remained on the SWAT team for 15 years. Attended 1st Arson Class in 2002. Completed Arson 4 in 2004. Worked as arson investigator for 20 years. Retired from Flagstaff Fire in 2020 Hired by Queen Creek Fire in 2020 as Inspector/Investigator Promoted to Deputy Fire Marshal in 2023. Board Member for AZIAAI for 3 years. Elected to 2nd VP 2024. |
| 2nd Vice President Marcela has been in the fire service since 2000. She spent 17 years in suppression before transitioning into fire prevention, where she promoted into leadership roles. Marcela served as the Fire Marshal for the City of Nogales and later worked as a Fire Investigator for the Northwest Fire District. She has been actively involved in fire investigations since 2010 and proudly served three terms on the board of the Arizona Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators (AZIAAI), most recently as First Vice President. Marcela retired from public safety in 2024 and now works in the private sector as a Fire and Life Safety Consultant, continuing to share her expertise and passion for protecting communities. Elected to 2nd VP 2025. |
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| Treasurer & Sergeant at Arms Fire Investigator for the Northwest Fire District since 2019 Joined the Northwest Fire District in 2018 Current FIT FIU program co-manager for the Northwest Fire District since 2022 |
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| Board Member Term: 2024-2026 With 24 years of dedicated service in the Fire Service, Darrell Tirpak has built a distinguished career marked by leadership and expertise. Beginning his journey as a U.S. Air Force Firefighter, he served active duty for 10 years, undertaking multiple deployments that honed his skills and resilience. Following his military service, Darrell joined El Mirage Fire where he ascended through the ranks. Today, he serves as a Division Chief/Fire Marshal for the Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority, leveraging his extensive experience to ensure the safety and preparedness of his community.
Darrell holds several key certifications, including Fire Inspector II, Fire Instructor II, Fire Officer II, Fire Investigation I-IV, Wildland Investigator, IAAI FIT, and CPSE FM. His academic credentials include a Bachelor's degree in Fire Administration, and he is currently pursuing a Master's in Emergency Management. Outside of his professional achievements, Darrell is a devoted family man, celebrating 20 years of marriage with his wife, Connie, and cherishing their two children, Joey and Nicolette. |
| Board Member Term: 2024-2026 Bio and photo coming soon! |
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Engineer/ Fire Investigator 20 years with Florence Fire Department 8 years with the Department of Corrections as Fire crew boss. 8 years with the U.S. Army. |
| Finance Committee Dr. Kelly Perkins is a Special Agent and Certified Fire Investigator with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). She is an active member of the AZIAAI Education Committee and serves as the Finance Officer at Large for the AZIAAI chapter. Dr. Perkins earned her doctorate in Forensic Science from Oklahoma State University and specializes in fire dynamics. She has conducted investigations and provided instruction throughout Arizona and nationally including the National Fire Academy (NFA), and National Center for Explosives Training and Research (NCETR). |
| Bylaws Committee A Chicago, Illinois native, Luke Coyne served as a firefighter for several years before moving to Arizona. In 2013, he was chosen by the International Conference of Law and Mental Health in Amsterdam to present his published paper, "Can Shame Be Therapeutic?". Luke has been a Deputy County Attorney with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office since 2015 and is currently partnered with Jonathan Hutcheson as the two assigned prosecutors for all arson and explosives cases in Maricopa County. Luke was honored with the 2022 International Association of Arson Investigators’ Sandy Burnett Outstanding Accomplishment Award and the 2022 Frank J. Molina Distinguished Service Award for the Arson and Murder prosecution of serial arsonist Justin Caruso. In 2023, the Arizona Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators named Luke the Attorney of the Year for his prosecution efforts and service to the Chapter. In addition to his duties as a Deputy County Prosecutor, Luke is a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators and its Arizona chapter where he teaches new and current arson investigators and serves as advisor to the executive board. Luke also serves as Co-Chairman of the Maricopa County Arson Task Force consisting of over forty law enforcement agencies and fire departments. |
| Historical Committee Amy Diederich is a career prosecutor who is passionate about training. Amy serves as a consultant and faculty member at Vera Causa Group. Amy routinely conducts training for law enforcement officers and prosecutors across the state of Arizona. Amy is an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law teaching trial advocacy. Amy serves as an Assistant Attorney General for the Arizona Attorney General's Office. Amy began her career as a prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix, Arizona. While at Maricopa County, Amy prosecuted a variety of crimes including violent crimes, sexual assaults, and crimes against children. She also worked as a mentor for new prosecutors. In 2015 Amy moved to the Pinal County Attorney’s Office where she prosecuted mostly gang crimes, homicides, and arsons. Amy has received awards from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) for her work as a prosecutor. She was awarded the 2019 Attorney of the Year by the International Association of Arson Investigators Arizona Chapter (IAAI). She is an AZ POST Certified Instructor, Legal Advisor to the Pinal County Arson Task Force, and serves as an Executive Board Member for the Arizona Gang Investigator’s Association Originally from Kansas, Amy received a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration from the University of Kansas and graduated from Creighton University School of Law. |
| Awards Committee 2022 to current - Golder Ranch Fire District Fire Inspector and Fire Investigator (IAAI-FIT) Retired Oro Valley Police Department (1996-2022) Oro Valley PD Detective and Fire Investigator (2006-2022) Married 20 years to Becca Helvig, three children – Ryan, Johnny and Sophie. |
| International Liaison - Keith Paffrath retired as a Deputy Fire Marshal from the public sector after 23 years. For the last 13 years, he has worked with Forensic Fire Consultants Ltd., in Phoenix, Arizona, as a private investigator, specializing in fire/explosion investigations and forensic fire code review. He assisted with initially adopting and implementing the fire code for his department. He was the first formally trained and recognized investigator and subsequently formed the department's fire investigation unit. He attended the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy in 2009, earning his POST certification and Exemplary Recruit from his classmates. He has testified in both criminal and civil courts in multiple jurisdictions. Keith Paffrath is a licensed private investigator with certifications from several organizations, including the IAAI, NAFI, NFPA, & ICC. He has held positions within the AZIAAI from Board Member to President. He has worked with the local Arson Task Force, participated in ATF National Response Team callouts, and continues to teach throughout Arizona and the U.S. He has been an adjunct faculty for the Maricopa Community Colleges and a Certified Fire Instructor. He has taught at the AZ Law Enforcement Academy. He is serving his second three-year term as a Director for the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) and chairs the Fire & Arson Journal, published quarterly. He is the IAAI Chapter Liaison to AZ, NM, CA, & NV. He also serves as the Principal on the NFPA 1321 Technical Committee for Fire Investigation Units (FIUs). |
