Rich Pala is the President and lead instructor at V.I. Fire Forensics Inc., a company committed to training the next generation of fire and police personnel in fire investigation.

Having served in the fire service for over 30 years, formerly as the Chief Fire Prevention Officer with the District of Saanich Fire Department and as a Subject Matter Expert for the Justice Institute of British Columbia’s Fire Investigation program, Rich continues to mentor fire investigation personnel in the investigation of fires and is a Local Assistant to the Fire Commissioner (North Saanich, BC).

Over the course of his fire service career, Rich has presented at conferences and training seminars for fire and law enforcement personnel both at the municipal and federal levels, and internationally in the United States, United Arab Emirates, Belize, El Salvador, and Saudi Arabia.

In addition to reviewing case files in support of litigation, Rich has provided exert witness testimony at the Provincial Court of British Columbia and the Supreme Court of Canada level.

Rich is the Vancouver Island Regional Director for the Canadian Association of Fire Investigators.