Fire Department Practices and Procedures Expert Witnesses: 3

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.

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.