Bison is a multi-disciplined engineering firm specializing in failure analysis, forensic engineering and fire sciences with a team of P.E.'s who have performed thousands of forensic assignments including in excess of 1,000 fuel gas investigations.

Legal professionals turn to Bison to scientifically conduct investigations to determine the cause of destructive events. Forensic Engineers provide expert testimony and consultation. Investigations include explosions, fires, carbon monoxide incidents, electrical fires and failures, structural failures, mechanical failures, accident reconstruction, specialized testing, and courtroom presentations:

Fuel Gas Incidents: Fire and Explosion Causation; Propane Explosions, Natural Gas Explosion, Gas Delivery Systems; Carbon Monoxide Testing and Evaluation, Production and Migration Investigations; Plant & Pipeline, Piping Evaluation; Operational Analysis; Appliance Evaluation; Code Compliance; Soil Gas Migration; Vapor Dispersion

Fire Investigation and Explosion Analysis: Cause and Origin, Scene Documentation; Collection of Evidence; Certified Fire Investigator

Electrical Engineering: Electrically Related Fires, Electrical Service and Wiring Failures, Production Facility Service and Controls for Chemical, Petroleum, and Distribution Facilities, Electrical Contacts, Electrocutions; Lightning Strikes

Mechanical Engineering: Equipment Design and Operation; High-Pressure Oilfield Equipment; Pump Design and Operation; HVAC Systems; High and Low-Pressure Seals; Plastic Part Design and Manufacture, Industrial Equipment

Accident Reconstruction: Accident Sequence Reconstruction; Speed, Time and Distance Calculations; Crush Damage; Braking; Steering and Mechanical Analysis, including Tires; Electrical System / Electronic Failures; Mechanical and Fuel Systems; Airbag and Seatbelt Fatalities/Injuries; Staged Vehicle Impact

Failure Analysis: Industrial Equipment, Vehicle Impacts, Airbags and Seat Belts; Elevator Failures; Helmet and other Protective Equipment Failures; Infant Crib Design Inadequacies; Carbon Monoxide Investigations, Crane Failures, etc.

Metallurgical Engineering: Metal Fatigue of Gas Compressor Components; Electrical Contact Evaluations; Cracking of Structural Plastics; Chemical Analysis; Corrosion & Stress Evaluation and Analysis; SEM Analysis; Electron/Optical Microscopy; X-ray Examination

Bison's clients argue their cases with confidence, secure in the knowledge that their claims are based on unbiased, scientific data.

The CECON Group, Inc.

Consulting in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials, Nanotechnology, Mechanical Engineering, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology and Related Science and Engineering Fields. Technical Experts with Experience in Patent Litigation, Products Liability and Personal Injury.

Our inside technical professionals will help you find the expert you need, either from CECON's network of over 1200 science, engineering, and technical business experts in 19 countries, or by doing a custom search. We will help you find the best consultant for your project. Advantages are:

Quick response, and no fee until the expert is working for you

Inside technical staff is able to understand the nuances of your project and effectively screen experts for your case.

Skilled at quickly assembling multidisciplinary technical expert teams.

26 years of experience serving the legal community and industry.

Litigation Experts For:

Products liability, patents and trade secrets, chemical and fire hazards, OSHA, EPA, FDA compliance, labeling, fitness for use, failure analysis, evidence evaluation, forensic investigation, insurance claims, damage valuation, IP valuation.

What CECON Consultants Do:

CECON consultants have decades of experience in industry, federal agencies and academia. CECON's strength is in finding the right consultant for your exact need from a world class network of technical experts. If the expert is not a CECON Consultant, we will use our external network to find the expert that meets your specifications.

Areas of Expertise:

Agriculture Bio Technology Ceramic / Glass Chemical Analysis Chemical Engineering Chemistry Composites Controlled Release Electrical Electronic Energy Engineering Environment Failure Analysis FDA Compliance Fermentation Fertilizer Fibers / Films / Coatings Food / Beverage Food Engineering Geo Science Hazardous Materials

Herbicides Insurance Legal: Expert Testimony Legal: Patents Manufacturing Materials Engineering Material Safety Medical Device Medicinal Chemistry Metals / Metallurgy Nanotechnology Particle Size Pesticides Pharmaceutical Physics / Optics / Magnetics Polymers / Plastics Regulatory Compliance Safety / Risk Assessment Sensors Toxicity

Stanley A. Kiska is a Professional Engineer with extensive experience in Failure Analysis, Accident Reconstruction, and Product and Process Design He has extensive experience with the investigation of accidents involving steel, aluminum, wood and fiberglass LADDER and SCAFFOLDING products, representing both defendants and plaintiffs in personal injury lawsuits.

As a former Senior Product Engineer for WERNER Ladder Company, Mr. Kiska has been involved in new product design and development, coordination of resources, overseeing activities conducted by outside vendors, evaluating proposed process changes, and troubleshooting manufacturing and process problems.

Areas of Expertise:

• Ladders
• Scaffolding
• Materials
• Product Liability
• Product Inspections
• Product Testing
• Accident Site Inspections
• Production Planning and Set Up

James I. Daniel, PE, REWC - Building Construction Consultant, Dispute Resolutions

Jim Daniel is Principal and Executive Vice President of Building & Environmental Consultants, a division of ITC Experts, Inc. With 33 years of experience, Mr. Daniel specializes in investigation, testing, evaluation and design of repairs for non-performing construction systems including exterior building facades, roofing systems, wall systems, foundations, windows and building fenestration, curtain walls, and interior gypsum drywall and plaster systems. Exterior facade expertise includes, among others, brick, concrete and limestone masonry; exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS); direct-applied exterior finish systems (DEFS); one-coat and three coat exterior portland cement plaster (traditional stucco); wood, metal, fiber-cement board, and vinyl sidings; thin brick, tile and exposed aggregate finish systems; glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC); glass curtain wall systems; joint sealants; flashing; and waterproof coating systems. Roofing expertise involves steep and low-sloped roofs including asphalt, wood, slate, and tile shingles; single ply membrane roofing; modified-bitumen roofing (MBR); built-up roofing (BUR); spray polyurethane foam (SPF) roofing; metal roofs; and associated expansion joints, scuppers, copings and flashing. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the States of Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, and Wisconsin and has NCEES certification. He also is a Registered Exterior Wall Consultant (REWC) through The Institute of Roofing, Waterproofing, & Building Envelope Professionals (RCI). View Curriculum Vitae.

Edward Malnar, FMP - Building Defects and Insurance Claims Investigations

Mr. Malnar is a Senior Consultant with Building & Environmental Consultants, a division of ITC Experts, Inc. He specializes in investigation, evaluation, testing and repair of non performing construction systems involving roofing, exterior walls, windows, building fenestration, foundations, and various other components of the exterior building envelope. Roofing expertise encompasses residential systems including asphalt composite shingles, wood shingles and shakes, natural stone (slate), and terra-cotta/clay tiles; commercial systems including poly-vinyl chloride (reinforced and unreinforced PVC), modified-bitumen roofing (MBR), built-up roofing (BUR), and metal roofs. Exterior cladding expertise includes brick, concrete, and limestone masonry; exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS); exterior Portland cement plaster (traditional stucco); wood, aluminum, and vinyl siding. While employed at HPZS Architects in Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Malnar specialized in management of projects for exterior envelope restoration. He performed field exploration and produced reports for prescriptive remedial recommendations of problems related to roof, wall, and window systems. Mr. Malnar was a key team member for the time sensitive historic façade and roof restoration for Soldier Field in Chicago, in anticipation of the World Cup Soccer in 1994. He managed the construction phase of the historic copper roof restoration for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. He was the primary investigator of all building facades and remedial repair supervision for Fulton House, 345 North Canal Street, Chicago, IL. View Curriculum Vitae.

John Fildes, PhD - Chemical, Materials, Product Development

Dr. Fildes has over 30 years of highly successful experience as a business leader, technology manager, researcher, and practicing scientist in dispute resolution and insurance investigation. His Ph.D is in Chemistry (Physical) from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and his B.S. is in Chemistry from Georgetown University. He has specialized throughout his career in the role that materials contribute to the limitations and failures of products and systems, and he is especially skilled at diagnosing the root cause of problems and problem solving, and determining the limitations of testing, analysis, and modeling. He often sees key issues and devises approaches that others have missed. He is a combination of statesman, educator, and scientist, and is able to successfully convey, with credibility and confidence, highly technical issues to laypeople. Dr. Fildes has a broad range of experience with materials that includes resins, composites, ceramics, and metals used in automotive, aerospace, electronic, and construction. He also has extensive experience with developing structure-property relationships for real world applications of materials, developing materials processing models including use of artificial intelligence, using electrochemical techniques for characterizing coatings and electronic materials as well as for measuring corrosion, sensors and measurement instrumentation, signal processing, statistics, data analysis, and friction and wear of materials including applying mechanisms of wear to actual situations and developing and applying test methods for real world applications. View Curriculum Vitae.

Jason R. Babcock, PhD - Chemistry and Materials Consulting

Dr. Babcock has formal training in chemistry, physics, mathematics, and materials property analysis. He has specialized throughout his career in the role that materials contribute to the limitations and failures of products and systems. He has substantial experience in a variety of materials, corrosion, measurement instrumentation, materials testing, materials processing and processing equipment, chemistry, R&D practices, and project management. Dr. Babcock has a broad General Chemistry knowledge that is invaluable to understanding the interaction of materials on a molecular level. He has extensive experience designing and building experimental apparatus and performing analytical testing of a wide variety of materials, interpreting the results, and providing detailed reports summarizing the findings. He can provide practical and comprehensive testing that is independent and unbiased. He has practical experience performing a broad range of tests to determine the strength, physical, chemical, and wear properties of metals, ceramics, composites, and plastics. Dr. Babcock is the author of over forty technical papers and holds five patents. View Curriculum Vitae.

Richard J. M. Bidwell, PE - Chemical, Industrial Incident Investigator

Ric Bidwell is a Licensed Professional Chemical Engineer that brings to ITC Expert Services nearly 30 years of multidisciplinary engineering experience. He has fully utilized his diverse hands-on experience in the national and international investigations of fires and explosions involving residential, commercial, chemical industrial facilities and heavy equipment. He has also been responsible for failure analysis and incident investigations relating to industrial and chemical processes or process equipment, chemical exposure, industrial accidents and safety.

Mr. Bidwell has nearly two decades of experience in all engineering aspects of chemical processing and industrial plant operations, including design, maintenance, safety and bulk material handling and transportation. Clients have included major petroleum and chemical producers, fuel gas companies and suppliers, the United States Chemical Hazard and Safety Board (CSB) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Mr. Bidwell Specializes in:

Fire and Explosion Investigation Natural Gas, LP and Propane Systems Chemical and Industrial Processes Industrial Incident Investigations Chemical Release and Exposure Bulk Material Transportation Incident Investigation

Plumbing, Piping and Pumping Systems Combustion & Heating Equipment Industrial and Commercial Safety Industrial and Heavy Equipment HVAC and Refrigeration Equipment

View Curriculum Vitae.

Kevin Pedersen, CFI, CFEI - Director, Fire Investigations

Mr. Pedersen, an investigator for over sixteen years, has extensive training in fire and explosion investigation techniques and experience in many forensic disciplines. He is certified in fire, explosion and arson investigation, holding both CFI (Certified Fire Investigator) and CFEI (Certified Fire and Explosions Investigator) certifications from the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) and the National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI), respectively. He is an Illinois licensed Private Detective, a Wisconsin licensed Private Detective, and a trained and accomplished evidence photographer. He has worked on investigations for both civil and criminal cases involving industrial accidents, traffic accidents and fires involving injuries, fatalities and property damage. He has also worked on criminal investigations involving surveillance, assault and battery, and homicides occurring during shootings, cases of arson, and bombings. Mr. Pedersen spent five years as a major crimes investigator for the City of Chicago Police Department in their Bomb and Arson Unit where he investigated over 1,000 incidents involving many major crimes. His experience includes incidents and explosions involving natural gas and propane, as well as residential and industrial fires, and fires in machinery and appliances. View Curriculum Vitae.