Jarod Zuniga is the founder and principal investigator of Z² Investigative Services. Built on

over 26 years of continuous public safety and elite technical experience, he provides

organizations, legal counsel, and insurers with absolute objective clarity. Jarod's career bridges

high-consequence public service leadership with advanced private-sector forensic consulting.

His methodology relies strictly on verifiable physical facts, data-driven frameworks, and rigorous

industry standards. 

Areas of Elite Expertise

1. Fire Origin & Cause Determination (Public & Private)

Jarod has investigated or directly assisted with more than 1,000 fire scenes to evaluate behavior, path, and ignition parameters. His experience is uniquely balanced across both public and private sectors: 

● Public Leadership: Spent over 17 years directing public agency emergency operations

and establishing high-performing Fire Investigation Units (FIU). 

● Private Forensics: Served as an autonomous field expert for a corporate forensic firm, conducting heavy commercial, industrial, residential, and complex vehicular origin-and-cause operations. 

2. Command Administration & Operations

As an experienced Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal, Jarod directed a large-scale county department, managed complex operational budgets, and designed strict regulatory policies.

This executive-level background ensures all workplace, compliance, and internal HR investigations are analyzed with deep administrative insight. 

3. Law Enforcement & Specialized Logistics

Before focusing exclusively on technical code compliance and asset fire analytics, Jarod built an extensive foundation in criminal law enforcement: 

● Criminal Investigator: Spent years processing complex scenes, maintaining rigorous chains of evidence, and executing legally defensible witness interviews.

● FBI-Certified Bomb Technician: Cross-trained deeply in explosive dynamics, hazard mitigation, and post-blast forensic reconstruction. 

● Traffic Crash Reconstructionist: Specialized as a Police Patrol Sergeant in calculating kinetic forces, vehicle vectors, and mechanical failure points during high-impact incident lifecycles. 

4. Private Business Management

In addition to public service administration, Jarod has hands-on experience owning and managing private companies. He understands the operational liabilities, compliance challenges, and financial risks that private business owners navigate daily. 

Specialized Credentials & Education

● Academic Foundation: Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) in Fire and Emergency Services Administration — Eastern New Mexico University.

● State Licensure: Licensed Private Investigator, State of New Mexico (#PI-2025-0470). 

● Elite Certifications:

○ IAAI-CFI (Certified Fire Investigator)

○ IAAI-CI (Certified Instructor) 

○ IAAI-ECT (Evidence Collection Technician) 

○ NAFI-CFEI (Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator) 

○ ICC Fire Plans Examiner (International Code Council)

○ ICC Inspector 2 (International Code Council)

● Advanced Institutional Training: Multiple National Fire Academy (NFA) technical completions, including advanced Fire & Life Safety, Fire Suppression Systems, and Fire Detection Plans Review training.

Jarod Zuniga CV

Why Hire Z² Investigative Services?

When you retain Z², you are hiring an investigator who has spent nearly three decades operating at the highest levels of governmental department oversight, police forensics, and private corporate consulting. We combine unmatched multidisciplinary expertise with cutting-edge visual technology (including Part 107 tactical drone thermal imaging) to provide clear, bulletproof reports that withstand severe legal and administrative evaluation.