Fire - Explosions (General) Expert Witnesses: 19

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.

Dale Wheeler is licensed in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering, and is certified in Basic Code Enforcement / Building Inspection by the Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA). He is published on fire safety in Atrium Buildings and in Exhibition Halls. Mr. Wheeler's Areas of Expertise include:

• Fire Protection System Design, installation and operation:
  - Fire detection
  - Smoke detection
  - Fire alarm
  - Central Station
  - Sprinkler systems
  - Fire suppression systems
  - Smoke control
• Fire and Smoke Barriers
• Building Code, Life Safety Code, and Fire Code Compliance
• Fire Hazard, Building Materials, Fire Resistance Ratings
• Fire Cause and Origin
• Arson
• Means of egress, egress signage, emergency lighting
• Forensic Fire and Fire Systems Investigation

Quality Forensic Engineering, LLC is a full-service forensic engineering firm, providing engineering support to clients in the areas of accident reconstruction, biomechanics, fire investigations, patent litigation analysis, premises liability, product liability, and tire failure analysis. We use the latest technology and industry proven techniques to provide thorough analysis and conclusions for the most difficult engineering questions. Our forensic engineers support clients throughout the U.S. Headquartered in Tallahassee, FL, we have locations in Jacksonville, FL; Melbourne, FL; Tampa, FL; Indianapolis, IN; New Orleans, LA; San Diego, CA; Charlotte, NC; Columbia, SC; and Tucson, AZ.

Traci K. Campbell, P.E., CFSE, CXLT, has over 22 years of experience investigating, analyzing, and testifying in matters involving a variety of forensic engineering issues. Ms. Campbell has a strong background working in manufacturing and industrial workplaces including the design, development, and implementation of solutions to ensure safe work environments. She has also been credited as part of a team holding a patent related to safeguarding power hand tools with rotating discs. 

Ms. Campbell's special interests include amusement park and theme park accidents and safety related issues. She is also a CFSE – Certified Forensic Slip Expert, CXLT – Certified XL Tribometrist (slip index evaluation) and a certified counter balance forklift operator. Ms. Campbell has served as a presenter with the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) regarding slip, trip, stumble, and fall incidents. She has shared her engineering expertise with many organizations on topics including: slip, trip, stumble, and fall incidents; electronic data in the realm of accident reconstruction; safety engineering and the engineering hierarchy; photogrammetry and other accident reconstruction techniques; OSHA compliance; and Industrial Engineering. 

Ms. Campbell is a registered and licensed Professional Engineer in five states and she continues to refine her skills and knowledge of premises liability and safety engineering by staying current with new technology and best practices.

See Full Bio & CV.

Expertise:

Brian A. Darr, P.E. IAAI-FIT(V), CFEI, has over 25 years of engineering experience which includes Tire Failure analysis on many types of tires (passenger, light truck, radial medium truck, retreads, motorcycle, etc.), Vehicle and Residential Fire Origin and Cause investigations, vehicle accident reconstruction for passenger and commercial vehicles, motorcycles, vehicle component failure analysis, and insurance fraud/consistency evaluations. He also conducts crash data retrieval (CDR) downloads for passenger vehicles and engine control module (ECM) downloads for commercial vehicles. Mr. Darr evaluates traffic signal timing relating to intersection collisions. He provides services in product and material failure analysis, cause analysis of plumbing failures, mechanical equipment and machinery failures, lightning strike investigations, nondestructive examinations and testing, product design and assessment of conformance to government, corporate, industry, safety, and international standards.

Mr. Darr has over 25 years of extensive experience with tires including design, development, manufacturing, quality investigation, race tire preparation, and testing of tires at numerous testing facilities. He worked in a tire manufacturing facility as a plant technical engineer where he investigated quality related issues, and in a Research & Development (R & D) center where he designed, developed, tested, and analyzed tires. Mr. Darr has visited numerous tire production plants such as Goodyear, Bridgestone, Michelin, and Continental tire. He has inherent knowledge of the PAX run-flat tire system and C3M manufacturing process. He also was responsible for verifying standards and regulations were met, related to tire product and tire pressure monitoring sensors.

Mr. Darr has been qualified as a tire expert in State and Federal court. He has completed forensic tire failure analysis on many types of tires in which he referenced hundreds of publicly available tire related documents. He reviews forensic tire reports from outlying offices along with providing marketing support and giving seminars nationwide. He has conducted numerous vehicle and residential fire origin and cause investigations with various findings including fires that were intentionally set, accidental, and electrical in nature. He has also conducted fire suppression system investigations. 

Mr. Darr holds multiple fire certifications and designations with the International Association of Arson Investigators and the National Association of Fire Investigators. 

See Full Bio & CV.

Expertise:

View Quality Forensic Engineering's Accident Reconstruction Biomechanics Engineering Expert Witness Profile.

Peter Howell, PE, CSP, CFEI, FAIChE  has almost 50 years of experience in the Design, Operation, Maintenance and Management of Chemical and Petrochemical Facilities with positions such as process engineer, project engineer, maintenance foreman, technical manager, engineering manager, plant manager and vice president and general manager.

Mr. Howell has investigated approximately 125 incidents that occurred in chemical plants, refineries, pulp and paper mills and similar industries for attorneys, insurance companies and regulatory agencies. He has determined the root causes using methodologies consistent with NFPA 921, Center for Chemical Process Safety, United Steel Workers, and the National Safety Council.  The root causes determined were based on the evidence, Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices and federal regulations.

Mr. Howell has extensive experience in developing, implementing and auditing the elements of OSHA's process safety management (PSM) regulation and EPA's risk management plan (RMP). He also has extensive experience in accident and incident investigations involving fire, explosion, and release of toxic and hazardous materials.  He He frequently serves as an expert witness and provides litigation support.

Areas of Expertise:

Florida Office:
Andrew Avalon, PE, PSP
Chairman & CEO
8633 Willow Kane Court
Orlando, FL 32835
aavalon@long-intl.com
T: (407) 445-0825     F: (407) 650-3399

Long International provides expert engineering and construction claims analysis, expert testimony, project management consulting, and insurance claims analysis services. We focus on projects in the following industries: building and construction; gas, gasification, GTL, LNG, and NGL; industrial and manufacturing; mineral and mineral processing; offshore oil and gas; oil sands; pipelines and utilities; power; refineries, petrochemical, and chemical; transportation; and water, wastewater, dams, and marine. We analyze claims, not limited to, disputed change orders, schedule delay, acceleration, time extensions, liquidated damages, loss of productivity, defective specifications, and deficient project management performance.

Richard J. Long, P.E., P.Eng., Founder of Long International, has over 50 years of U.S. and international consulting experience involving construction contract disputes analysis and resolution, arbitration/litigation support and expert testimony, project management, engineering/construction management, cost and schedule control, and process engineering. As an internationally recognized expert in the analysis and resolution of complex construction disputes for over 35 years, Mr. Long has served as the lead expert on over 300 projects having claims ranging in size from US$100,000 to over US$2 billion. He has presented and published numerous articles on claims analysis, entitlement issues, CPM schedule and damages analyses, cumulative impact claims, and claims prevention.

Rod C. Carter, CCP, PSP is President of Long International and has over 20 years of experience in construction project controls, contract disputes and resolution, negotiations, mediation, arbitration support, and expert testimony on scheduling, loss of productivity, and quantum issues.  He has experience in entitlement, schedule, and damages analyses on over 30 construction disputes ranging in value from US$100,000 to US$7 billion, related to oil and gas, oil refinery, LNG, heavy civil, nuclear, environmental, chemical, power, industrial, commercial, and residential construction projects. Mr. Carter specializes in loss of productivity, cumulative impact, and quantum calculations, and had a lead role in assessing damages on more than a dozen major disputes.  In addition, Mr. Carter has developed cost and schedule risk analysis models using Monte Carlo simulations to address the uncertainty of estimates and claims.

Scott M. Francis, P.E., PSP is a Vice President of Long International and has over 20 years of experience in project management, contract disputes analysis and resolution, CPM schedule preparation, execution, and analysis, productivity analysis, contract administration, design engineering, construction management, and government contracting.  He provides schedule development and assurance services, cost estimating, and claims analysis services on projects for both owners and contractors.  Specific responsibilities include CPM development and reviews, CPM schedule delay and acceleration analyses, change order impact analysis, issue identification, correlation of impacts to schedule activities, and productivity evaluations.

The four PhD and registered PEs at Miller Engineering are celebrating 40 years of Professorships at three universities along with providing services to Government, Insurance, and Industry—through research, publications, presentations, and expert testimony. We have a dedicated office with a full time staff of engineers, researchers, and technical writers. The span of our collective academic and experiential expertise covers well the Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Agricultural, Industrial, Human Factors, Ergonomic and Safety fields of engineering. The areas listed below are from actual projects completed in our 40 years of history. 

Meyer R. Rosen, FRSC, FAIC, CPC, CChE, is a leading creative consultant for the Legal Profession and specialty Chemical / Personal Care Industries. He is the Founder & President of Interactive Consulting, Inc. (www.chemicalconsult.com). 

Meyer is a Forensic Litigation expert for both plaintiff and defense in hazardous chemicals, products liability, personal injury, fires and explosions, intellectual property and trade secret cases. He also provides Technical Marketing, New Business Development, Technical Consulting and Professional Editing services internationally to the Specialty Chemical, Personal Care, Cosmetic, Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, and Allied Industries. 

Meyer also has 15 years of experience as a Professor of Fire Technology at Westchester Community College. Mr. Rosen is Editor- in- Chief of Harry’s Cosmeticology, 9th Ed. A 2,600-page trilogy on all aspects of the cosmetic industry (www.harryscosmeticology.com)’ as well as being Emeritus-Editor-in-Chief for EuroCosmetics magazine (Germany) and Editor-in-Chief of the Delivery System Handbook. 

Technology Expertise (Intellectual Property/Chemical Industry): Mr. Rosen provides consultation and litigation support in patent infringement, trade secret issues, and licensing matters. His scientific areas of expertise include, but are not limited to:

• Organosilicones: Surfactants, Emulsions, Foams, Antifoams, Silane Coupling Agents
• Water Soluble Polymers, Poly(ethylene oxide), Polyethylene Glycol, and Poly (acrylamide) and Water Insoluble Polymers
• Colloid and Surface Chemistry: Stability of Dispersions, Wetting & Spreading Phenomena, Suspensions & Emulsions, Clays, Paint & Coatings, Personal Care, Cosmetics
• Flocculating and Coagulating Agents
• Applied Rheology, Rheology Modification of Aqueous & Non-Aqueous Media

Certifications:

• Chartered Chemist and Fellow: Royal Society of Chemistry – London
• Nationally Certified Professional Chemist and Professional Chemical Engineer
• Fire and Explosion Expert (Advanced Training)
• Fellow: American College of Forensic Examiners
• Fellow: American Institute of Chemists
• Diplomate: American Board of Forensic Examiners
• Diplomate: American Board of Forensic Engineering and Technology

View Meyer Rosen's Consulting Profile.

Global Forensic Services, LLC (GFS) is a Forensic Consulting, Laboratory and Investigative Firm offering over 44 years of experience and training in a wide range of forensic science and private investigation disciplines.

Larry Stewart has personally examined tens of thousands of individual items of evidence from sources such as state, local, and federal agencies (e.g. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Central Intelligence Agency, and others), and foreign governments. On several occasions he has examined cases involving international disputes between governments. 

Mr. Stewart has testified as an Expert Witness in state, federal and military courts of law, as well as in foreign court systems to include; Austria, Australia, Canada, Germany, Sri Lanka and Thailand. He has also testified at The Hague in the Netherlands and three times as an expert before the U.S. Congress. 

Areas of Expertise Include:

William Guentzler, Ph.D. has over 30 years as a Forensic Examiner and 36 years as a University Professor. Dr. Guentzler specializes in the area of FAILURE ANALYSIS for autos, trucks, ATCs, ATVs, motorcycles, motor homes, marine and golf carts. 

Areas of Expertise:

Dr. Guentzler has served as an Expert Witness for both Plaintiff and Defense in over 550 Cases. References are available upon request.

D.R. Foster, PE, PhD is an expert in Welding Engineering, specializing in the Design, Manufacture, and Inspection of Welded Structures.  Dr. Foster possesses a PhD in Welding Engineering and numerous certifications in welding, inspection, and engineering.  In addition, he has significant Welding Engineering experience in both academia and in industry. His exceptional experience and training have prepared him to properly analyze the welding failures and welding safety violations that are the subject of Litigation.

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience: Dr. Foster earned his BS, MS, and PhD in Welding Engineering from The Ohio State University’s Department of Material Science and Engineering.  Dr. Foster has spent over 17 years as a welding engineer in the academic, public, and private sectors. 

Strongly dedicated to his craft, Dr. Foster has earned multiple welding, engineering, and inspection certifications. These certifications include Certified Welder (CW), Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), Certified Welding Educator (CWE), Certified Welding Supervisor (CWS), Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng),  NDT Level III Inspector (NDT III) and Licensed Professional Engineer (PE).

Dr. Foster has performed work for many large government agencies/consortiums such as Ohio Aerospace Institute, US Navy, US Army, NASA, the National Shipbuilding Research Program and the National Science Foundation while also providing welding engineering solutions for private industry.

Dr. Foster is a former tenure-track university professor with extensive experience teaching undergraduate-level and graduate-level courses in materials science, welding processes, and the design of welded structures. His research has been published in numerous scientific journals.

For more information, please visit The Welding Expert Witness.

John A. Williams, PhD, PE, CFEI, MBA, ASA, AIChE Fellow. 

Dr. Williams delivers Technology Assessments and Financial Valuation Analysis for business disputes involving intellectual property, trade secrets, patent infringement, licensing, royalties, capital investment, manufacturing operations expenses, ad valorem taxes, and lost profit calculations. He is an Accredited Senior Appraiser by the American Society of Appraisers, 

Practical 40 years of engineering experience in renewable and conventional energy technologies and facilities encompassing oil & gas, refining, biofuels, biomass, solar, wind, geothermal, coal, chemicals, steel, and power generation. A NAFI Certified Fire and Explosions Investigator, Dr. Williams performs forensic investigations of fires, explosions, equipment failures, and industrial accidents. 

Dr. Williams is a licensed Professional Engineer in the States of Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusettes, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Envista Forensics is a global leader in Forensic Engineering & Recovery Solutions. They provide Cause & Origin, Failure Analysis, Fire and Explosion Investigations, Accident Reconstruction, Damage Evaluations and Equipment Restoration Services following disasters of all kinds. Envista has offered Consulting Services to the insurance, legal and risk management industries, as well as businesses, public entities, and universities for over 25 years.

Their Experts travel globally from 30 offices located across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Australia and Singapore. Envista's experience counts when equipment, systems, structures, or data have been threatened by catastrophe or litigation. Their experts and advisors determine cause and responsibility, and identify the nature and extent of damage or loss and provide a full range of solutions to protect their assets.

Envista's technical professionals are trusted advisors and industry leaders. Their expertise is broad and deep, capable of withstanding all forms of scrutiny. Envista's services are available globally so that certainty is assured no matter where in the world it is needed. As the recovery from disasters has grown more complex, Envista has developed a comprehensive array of services to help their clients and has associates located around the globe to provide assurance no matter the type of loss or location of the disaster. Envista helps attorneys quickly get to meaningful answers on the many technical issues at the center of a dispute. Their engineers have decades of experience working with both defendants and plaintiffs.

They offer effective Expert Witness Testimony, with the ability to communicate effectively, build rapport with juries and judges, and maintain adherence to structured, methodical approaches in drawing conclusions are all extremely critical. Envista Forensics understands how critical the selection of an expert can be, and we understand what makes experts effective. Their court qualified experts have extensive experience providing expert testimony on a wide variety of engineering and technical matters.

Areas of Expertise:

View Envista's Consulting Profile.

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

• Heat Treating of Metals
• Welding and Joining of Materials
• Materials Testing and Evaluation
• Quality Control and Assurance
• Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopic Techniques
• Destructive and Non-destructive Physical Testing
• Laboratory Equipment and Procedures

Gregory J. Cahanin, CP works in the Fire Protection Engineering field. Over 40 years of experience in the application of sound engineering principles work to produce results in litigation cases. He is nationally recognized as a Life Safety and Fire Protection expert. He performs fire origin and cause, fire alarm, fire sprinkler, kitchen suppression, fire wall and compartmentation failures, and slip and fall forensic investigations.

Gregory J. Cahanin Fire & Code Consulting has been based in St. Petersburg, FL for over 25 years.

Background - Mr. Cahanin served as a Senior Life Safety Engineer with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the organization that writes Fire Protection Codes and Standards. He was staff liaison for building construction standards and the Fire Prevention Code. Special project work included support of the International Division of NFPA in a survey of fire protection for all oil production facilities of LaGoven SA in Venezuela; an evaluation of the existing airport terminal in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; and a code comparison study for the National Institute of Building Sciences. Mr. Cahanin investigated multiple fatality fires for NFPA and his reports are nationally published and peer reviewed. Mr. Cahanin holds Professional Grade Membership in the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Mr. Cahanin has earned three undergraduate degrees in Fire Science and Fire Protection and a Master in Public Administration.

Litigation Support - Mr. Cahanin regularly testifies in fire cases offering opinions on the origin and cause of fires in addition to component failures in construction, fire sprinkler systems, kitchen suppression systems and product failures. He is nationally published on fire protection requirements in the building code as a contributing editor on the 2006 edition of the International Building Code (IBC) Commentary where he edited the sections on fire-resistance rated construction. He currently serves on code committees with both the NFPA and ICC. Mr. Cahanin holds a NALA paralegal certification and is well versed in Civil Procedure, interrogatory, expert report writing, and trial procedures. 

Mr. Cahanin meets the professional qualifications of NFPA 1033, Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator as documented in a Florida Declaratory Statement held by no other fire expert in the state of Florida. Investigations of note include the Warwick. R.I. Station Nightclub Fire in 2003 with 100 fatalities. In Wyatt v. Security Alarms Co., Inc. key testimony on the failure of a Viking automatic fire sprinkler established a product liability that resulted in a $1.4M dollar jury award for Wyatt in Oklahoma. Mr. Cahanin's services are available to plaintiff and defendant attorneys. Case work can include site investigation, materials testing, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

View Cahanin Fire & Code's Consulting Profile.