Fire - Explosions Cause / Origin Expert Witnesses: 20

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

Since 1988, Real-World Forensic Engineering, LLC ("RWFE") has provided engineering services to industries and government labs, as well as litigation support to both plaintiff and defense attorneys practicing in many areas.

RWFE Areas of Expertise Include:

At RWFE, we proudly distinguish ourselves by our Four C's:

CREDENTIALS. COMPETENCE. CREDIBILITY. COMMUNICATION.

Design Evaluation – Accident Investigation – Intellectual Property - Failure Analysis – Fire Cause & Origin – Component Testing - Computer Aided Drafting – Accident Animation - Expert Witness & Litigation Support

www.ExpertEngineering.com

Rapperport Associates, Inc., provides exceptional capability in Failure Analysis, Fire and Explosion Investigation, Accident Reconstruction, Structural Analysis, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials Science. We have provided superior technical support for litigation since 1974, and possess an extraordinarily talented technical team with impeccable academic and industrial credentials and proven analysis capability. Our team of distinguished scientists and engineers is drawn principally from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and Stanford University. 

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Engineering

• Mechanical
• Structural / Civil
• Metallurgy
• Materials Science
• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Electrical

Quality Forensic Engineering, LLC is a full-service forensic engineering firm, providing engineering support to clients in the areas of accident reconstruction, premises liability, and product liability. With over 25 years of experience for each of our senior engineers, we utilize the latest technology for documenting evidence and retrieving data including FARO 3D scanning, aerial drone imaging, and black box downloads. Additionally, we use industry proven and court accepted techniques and methodologies for the analysis of slip resistance, changes in elevations, and stair geometry. Combined with application of appropriate codes, standards, and guidelines, we provide thorough analysis and conclusions for your most difficult engineering questions. Our forensic engineers are mobile, supporting clients throughout the U.S. We are headquartered in Tallahassee, FL with remote locations in Jacksonville, FL; Tampa, FL; San Diego, CA; and Tucson, AZ. 

Dr. Brian Pfeifer, P.E. - Dr. Pfeifer is an Engineering Expert with over 25 years of experience investigating thousands of cases involving a variety of forensic engineering issues. He is a leading expert in accident reconstruction, roadside safety, maintenance of traffic, commercial vehicle accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, and the analysis of mechanical systems and product failures.Dr. Pfeifer has a strong background in the design, development, and implementation of roadside safety hardware including guardrails, bridge rails, and crash cushions. Over 33 patents have been filed worldwide on behalf of Dr. Pfeifer and associated colleagues who invented safer guardrail systems, vehicle storage systems, shipping container handling systems, and material handling and storage methods. He has also utilized his technical knowledge and understanding of patents to assist in a number of matters involving patent litigation.

Dr. Pfeifer has published numerous papers to various organizations, covering topics such as new guardrail systems, energy absorbing guardrail terminals, breakaway sign mechanisms, and material handling technology. He has shared his expertise with many organizations on topics including vehicle collisions, bicycle accidents, roadway construction zones, and accident reconstruction expert witness utilization. Dr. Pfeifer is a registered Professional Engineer in three states and he continues to refine his skills and knowledge of accident reconstruction and roadside safety by staying current with new technology and best practices. Dr. Pfeifer has extensive experience with providing deposition and trial testimony as an Engineering Expert.

Expertise:

Ms. Traci Campbell, P.E., CXLT - Ms. Campbell has over 22 years of experience investigating, analyzing, and testifying in matters involving a variety of forensic engineering issues. She is a leading expert in the following: industrial accident reconstruction and human factors; slip, trip, stumble and fall analysis; application of standards, codes, and guidelines including OSHA, ANSI, ASTM, Life Safety, ADA and Building Codes; workplace safety related issues; forklift and material handling devices; construction machinery and workplaces; manufacturing equipment; and the analysis of workplace systems and product failures. 

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. Her special interests include amusement park and theme park accidents and safety related issues. Ms. Campbell is also a 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.

Expertise:

John Miller, CFI, CFEI, CVFI, ECT Fire Capt. (Ret.), is a Certified Fire Investigator, Explosion Investigator, Vehicle Investigator, and Evidence Collection Technician licensed in California. He has 29 years in the fire service, over 24 years in the private sector, and 3 years as a major city fire investigator. Mr. Miller has investigated over 2,500 fires. He started in the fire service in 1972. 

Litigation Support - Over the courses of his career, Mr. Miller has handled over 18,000 pieces of evidence. His services include retrieving, transporting, and storing evidence (evidence examination facility available.) He works with public and federal defender offices and is NFPA 921 & 1033 compliant.

As of October 2022, Mr. Miller has been retained in 10 Defense cases, 7 Plaintiff cases: 5 Criminal cases, 12 Civil cases, and 7 trials. He recently participated in a 1.7 million dollar court case with a unanimous decision in his client's favor. See Case List.

Areas of Expertise:

• Fire Investigation
• Arson
• Fraud
• Insurance Subrogation

Background Information - Since 1998, Mr. Miller has served as President of JMI, INC., conducting fire investigations in California. Prior to that, from 1980-2000, he worked as a fire investigator and ultimately Fire Captain with the Sacramento City Fire Department.

Mr. Miller also served with the United States Air Force from 1972-1979 as a firefighter, crew chief, and dispatcher, in charge of extinguisher maintenance at Mather. He worked at McClellan, Mather, and Kunsan, Korea Air Force bases.

Certifications:

• Certified Fire Investigator by the International Association of Arson Investigators
• Certified Fire Investigator by the California Conference of Arson Investigators
• Certified Fire Investigator California State Fire Marshal's Office
• Certified Evidence Collection Technician by the International Association of Arson Investigators
• Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator by the National Association of Fire Investigators
• Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator by the by the National Association of Fire Investigators
• Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator by the National Association of Fire Investigators
• Certified Evidence Collection Technician by the International Association of Arson Investigators
• NFPA 921 & 1033 Compliant
  

View JMI Fire Investigation's Consulting Profile.

Meyer R. Rosen, FRSC, FAIC, CPC, CChE, is a leading creative consultant for the Legal Profession, Specialty Chemical / Personal Care Industries. He is 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 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 Editor-in-Chief Emeritus for EuroCosmetics magazine (Germany). 

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.

Roger W. Griffith, P.E. has over 37 years of experience as a registered professional Mechanical Engineer in the design, maintenance, and operation of mechanical systems (Plumbing, HVAC, and Fire Sprinkler Systems). As the principal of Griffith Engineering & Consulting for 23 years, his design experience with commercial and industrial projects includes convention centers, schools, office buildings, condominiums, apartment buildings, hotels, churches, manufacturing facilities, medical buildings, restaurants, historic buildings, dormitories, fire halls, and maintenance facilities.

Litigation Support - Since 2002, Mr. Griffith has been providing forensic engineering, consulting, and expert witness services that are thorough, credible, and timely. He also assists clients through the mediation and arbitration process. His expert testimony is based upon independent and impartial investigation, research, analysis, and testing. His services include written reports and the preparation of exhibits. Mr. Griffith's expertise is available to plaintiffs and defendants on the issues of plumbing, mechanical, and fire sprinkler system defects and failures. 

His specific areas of expertise include hot water scalding, carbon monoxide poisoning, and legionella. Mr. Griffith has served on numerous codes and standards committees related to areas, including the NFPA 54 Fuel Gas Code, the ASSE Scalding Awareness Task Group, the Uniform Codes' Legionella Task Groups, and the ICC Plumbing/Mechanical/Fuel Gas Code Action Committee. 

He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

Areas of Expertise:

View Roger W. Griffith's Consulting Profile.

Global Forensic Services, LLC (GFS) is a Forensic Consulting, Laboratory and Investigative Firm offering over 37 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.

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 T. Davis is an internationally recognized expert in Marine Forensics and Marine Survey. He has over 40 years of experience as a Professional Marine Surveyor and Investigator, and is the founder and President of Davis & Company, Ltd. the nation's leading marine survey and loss investigation firm.

Mr. Davis was formerly Senior Managing Consultant with Engineering Systems Inc. (ESi) and Director of the Marine Practice Group. His firm, Davis Marine Consulting Associates, LLC, formed in June of 2018, offers professional services to a wide variety of clients, for investigations related to Marine Accidents that range from recreational and commercial watercraft design and loss evaluations to marina operations. 

Mr. Davis is a Fire and Explosion Investigator certified by the National Association of Fire Investigators, and a Marine Surveyor certified by the National Association of Marine Surveyors, Inc., He is a ‘Special Expert’ on NFPA 303 “Marinas and Boatyards,” and is NTSB training certified in Marine Accident Investigation. 

He is a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), serving on their O-45 Fire Protection and Safety Panel and is Chair of the MF10 Small Boat Forensics Panel. He is a member of the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), having served on their Board of Directors and is currently serving on the Technical Board.

Mr. Davis has been recognized by Marquis Publications with their “Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award” and by Lawyer Monthly magazine within their “2019 Expert Awards”.

Litigation Support - Mr. Davis offers comprehensive, project specific expert witness services to help identify project goals and issues. His service are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. General areas of specialization include: 

• Marine Forensics and Marine Survey
• Marine Accident Investigation and Reconstruction
• Failure Analysis, Safety Assessments, and Risk Analysis
• Marine Fire and Explosion Origin and Cause

Specific Areas of Expertise:

Randy Clarksean,  PhD, PE, CFEI, CFII, is a Mechanical Engineer with over 30 years of engineering experience on a wide range of Mechanical and Thermal Systems. Specializing in Failure Analysis and Forensic Engineering, he has over 40 engineering conference and journal publications.

Dr. Clarksean is a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI), registered Professional Engineer (PE Idaho), and Certified Fire Investigation Instructor (CFII). He has extensive experience in the application of engineering analysis techniques for new designs or the analysis of system failures. Analysis experience includes hand calculations and spreadsheets all the way to complex three-dimensional heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and structural analysis.

Litigation Support - Dr. Clarksean offers expert witness services to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant. Services include thorough review, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. Types of cases have included personal injury, design defects, patent infringement, trade secrets, and insurance subrogation. Forensic investigations have included the review and application of engineering standards to numerous different systems (pipelines, irrigation systems, pressure vessels, HVAC systems, lithium-ion battery fires, etc.).

Areas of Expertise: