Fresno State Forensic Anthropologist Launches Central California Fire-Death Academy After Wildfire Deployments

Chelsey Juarez, Ph.D., an associate professor of anthropology at Fresno State and a forensic anthropologist with the California Office of Emergency Services, is turning frontline wildfire experience into a new training program for death investigators and first responders.

From the field to a formal academy

Juarez was among hundreds of specialists deployed to the Palisades Fire in Southern California this January. Working alongside search teams and scent-detection canines, forensic anthropologists advised incident commanders on when to send field teams to confirm suspected human remains.

"He just said, 'Things are looking pretty bad down here in the Palisades, and I need you to be ready to deploy,'" Juarez recalled.

At wildfire scenes, Juarez and colleagues often receive photographs from ground teams showing potential human remains; specialists at the command center review images and determine whether an on-site forensic anthropologist should investigate. She also provided "Just-In-Time" training at incident sites — short, focused instruction to prepare first responders and international urban search-and-rescue (USAR) teams to recognize thermally altered human remains and work safely in burned environments.

The Central California Forensic Fire Death Investigation Academy

Motivated by lessons learned on recent fires, Juarez and collaborators have organized a five-day Central California Forensic Fire Death Investigation Academy, scheduled for April at the Fresno City College First Responders Campus. The course will split time roughly between lectures and hands-on practical sessions to give attendees both the theory and field skills needed for post-fire death investigation.

Key details:

• Duration: Five days in April
• Location: Fresno City College First Responders Campus
• Enrollment: 50 professionals and 10 students
• Hands-on training: Organizers are contracted to receive 10 donated human remains for practical exercises; donors have agreed to allow their bodies to be used for this training
• Format: Approximately half lecture, half hands-on, with an emphasis on multidisciplinary teamwork and research opportunities

"I want to provide something with my colleagues that is the absolute top-notch training anywhere in the country, and incredible research opportunities for scientists to come so that we can actually not only understand, but make changes," Juarez said.

Applications opened in October and will close in December. Interested applicants should check the academy's official page for application details and eligibility requirements.

Why this matters

The academy aims to improve safety and effectiveness in post-fire recovery, advance research on thermally altered remains, and strengthen multidisciplinary coordination among investigators, first responders, and scientists. By combining field-hardened instruction with research opportunities, organizers hope to raise national standards for forensic fire-death investigation.