Dust Explosions and Fires Expert Witnesses: 6

Henry W. Stormer, IAAI-CFI(V), CFPS, is the President / National Manager for VERTEX FIRE INVESTIGATIONS LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The VERTEX COMPANIES LLC. His responsibilities include management of a forensic fire investigation team conducting Fire Origin and Cause Investigations nationwide for the insurance industry.

Mr. Stormer has over 37 years of experience investigating in excess of 2,300 fires and explosions both in the public (25 years) and private sectors (12 years). He is a Certified Fire Investigator through the IAAI and a Certified Public Fire and Life Safety Instructor, with both certifications recognized by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications. He is also a Certified Fire Protection Specialist through the NFPA.

Litigation Support - Mr. Stormer has served as an expert witness and is actively engaged in several legal cases related to property damage, product liability, personal injury, and criminal activity. Mr. Stormer's legal support activities have included depositions, interrogatories, mediation, arbitration, and trial testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

Mr. Stormer is currently licensed as a Private Investigator, Manager in: AL, CT, DE, FL, IN, KY, MD, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, SC, TX, VT, WV with reciprocal licensing in: AL, CA, GA, LA, NC, TN and VA.

John R. Storm offers a rare combination of Executive Fire Command Experience, Paramedic Clinical Expertise, and Municipal Policy Insight, enabling him to evaluate cases from both operational and administrative perspectives. With 30 years in the fire service, including 25 years as a paramedic and service as a chief-level officer, he has firsthand experience with the decisions, policies, and actions often examined in litigation.

Litigation Support - Mr. Storm provides expert analysis and testimony in matters involving fire department operations and incident command, EMS standard of care and prehospital treatment, NFPA compliance and training adequacy, 911 dispatch and emergency communications, and municipal liability.

Attorneys retain Mr. Storm for his ability to translate complex standards into clear, persuasive opinions and testimony while providing objective, standards-based analysis grounded in decades of hands-on experience. He has been retained four times in the past month on cases involving fire origin and cause, fireground operations, EMS standard of care, patient care duties, and documentation practices.

Areas of Expertise: 

Mr. Storm's background spans command, training, compliance, and governance. He has commanded emergency incidents, fireground, and fire prevention operations, developed and enforced policies and training programs, conducted fire & internal investigations, evaluated personnel performance, overseen EMS operations and quality assurance, managed 911 dispatch, coordinated multi-agency and large-scale incidents, & OSHA.

In addition, his work in executive recruiting and municipal consulting provides valuable insight into hiring practices, leadership expectations, and organizational liability. This strengthens his ability to analyze claims involving failure to train, supervision, and policy deficiencies.

He is currently completing a Master of Legal Studies at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, further enhancing his ability to align technical expertise with legal standards and evidentiary requirements.

JOHN A. WILLIAMS, PhD, PE, ASA, MBA, CFEI, AIChE Fellow

Dr. Williams is an International Engineering and Energy Technology Expert in the engineering analysis and financial appraisals of energy, power, and manufacturing technologies, related intellectual property (patents, trade secrets, trademarks), licensing, royalty structures, market analysis, infringement, contract breach, fraud, compensatory, taxation, and lost profit damages. Dr. Williams provides engineering analysis, forensics, financial appraisals, and quantification of economic damages for oil & gas production, solar, wind, manufacturing, oil refining, chemicals, power generation, electrical distribution, steam, RNG biogas, biomass, ethanol, biodiesel, bioprocessing, food ingredients, geothermal, coal, nuclear, steelmaking, glassmaking, storage, pipelines, water treatment, and waste-to-energy technologies, equipment, construction, and facilities.

With over 40 years of industry experience in operations, R&D, cost estimating, finance, and construction (EPC, EPCM), Dr. Williams offers a unique synergy of engineering expertise and business acumen. His exceptional ability to analyze complex technical and financial matters and express them in understandable terms has made him a sought-after expert witness in litigation risk and exposure, dispute resolution and high-stakes litigation.

Dr. Williams has led EPS, a full-service engineering firm, since 1995. Since 1996, he has been recognized by AIChE, ASME, and ASA for developing and instructing courses in technology development, project management, cost engineering, financial evaluation methods, and financial appraisals of technologies and intellectual property. His credentials include:

• Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) by the American Society of Appraisers in Machinery & Technical Specialties: Energy, Environmental, and Manufacturing Technologies.
• Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) by the National Association of Fire Investigators.
• Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
• PhD in Chemical and Fuels Engineering from the University of Utah
• MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago
• BS in Chemistry from the University of Delaware
• Licensed Professional Engineer in over 20 states

Paul Eason is a Licensed Professional Engineer, Nationally Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator and Forensic Consultant. His expertise comes from a strong background in industry and academia. In addition to his consulting practice, he is a professor in the School of Engineering at the University of North Florida, and maintains a graduate faculty appointment in the Materials Science and Engineering Program at the University of Florida. 

Dr. Eason has testified in numerous trials and depositions in the following practice areas: 

Product Design & Manufacturing Analysis - Metallurgy & Materials - Fire & Explosions - Industrial Accidents 

Areas of Expertise: Product Liability and Materials Failure Analysis, Product Defect & Safety Issues including: Metals, Plastics, Glass, Ceramics, Corrosion, Fatigue, Overload & Material Selection 

Fire and Explosion Analysis including: cause and origin determination, product related fire causation, industrial process accidents, dust explosions, welding / brazing accidents

Degreed and Licensed Engineer (PE) of Fire Protection Engineering plus specialized expertise in Building Construction Codes and ASIS Board Certified in Security.

Executive leader in the A/E/C industry - Expert in building codes, setting risk-reduction strategies, balancing safety with security, and managing complex programs including "surgical" engineering problem-solving for complex multi-disciplinary legal issues.

Creator & Host of the "FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEERING PODCAST" on Blubrry, Apple & Spotify Podcasts

https://podcast.show/fpe

My career was founded on designing systems ranging from Wet-Pipe Sprinkler and Speaker/Strobe Notification to advanced Gaseous Suppression and Video Image Smoke Detection for fire protection; or Access Control and Intrusion Detection to Intelligent Video Analytics and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) for security. Expert Witness and Forensics expertise includes:

• Fire Protection Engineering
• Building Codes & Standards
• Determination of Origin & Cause
• Heat Transfer & Fire Spread Analysis
• Hazmat/Explosion
• Life Safety & Property Loss from all emergencies
• Physical & Technical Security Systems Breaches
• Life-Threatening System Failures or Inadequacies
• Accident & Safety Incident Re-creation

Experienced in Fire Cause and Origin, Arson Prosecution and Defense, Product Subrogation, Fire and Building Codes, Life Safety Codes, Fire Injuries and Fatalities, as well as Fire Department Operations and Management. 

John Michael Agosti & Associates provides assistance to insurance companies, attorneys and other agencies in the determination of cause and origin in fires and explosions. Our goal is to provide independent and articulate findings to you the client, quickly and accurately. 

With over 28 years of fire department experience and 15 years in the private sector, Mr. Agosti has completed over two thousand investigations of fires, explosions, and life safety incidents. He has testified in both federal and state courts for both plaintiff and defense clients.