Fire & Fire Safety Expert Witnesses: 10

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

Alan J.  Robinson brings over 35 years of Security / Law Enforcement experience to the  security, safety, fire safety, emergency management field. Mr. Robinson is a former Supervisor, Protection Services for Disney-ABC, Inc. in New York, where he coordinated the security of millions of dollars in equipment for both Reagan Presidential Inaugurations. While at Disney-ABC, he was credited with creating the first hostage negotiation training class after an incident at ABC News in Washington, D.C.

Background Experience: For  the past 25 years, Mr. Robinson has been the Director of Protection and Security Services/Emergency  Management for Atlantic Health System; a hospital system based in New Jersey where he manages: Public Safety and Security, Fire/Life Safety, Emergency  Management, Investigations, and Special Events for a healthcare system that approximately 10 million square feet of physical plant and campus, spread  throughout New Jersey.

Mr. Robinson directly and indirectly manages over one-hundred (100) security  officers, investigators, fire safety officers, emergency management officers, and contract law  enforcement officers. He has successfully navigated numerous external agency regulatory compliance  surveys including those from the “Joint Commission,” State Department of Health, New Jersey Office of Homeland Security, and New Jersey Office of  Counter-Terrorism.

Litigation Support: Mr. Robinson has been retained to provide consultation, security analysis, and security expert witness testimony by plaintiff and  defendant in a wide variety of civil suits. He is available to consult and testify in matters concerning:

Areas of Expertise

Workplace Violence Prevention and Investigation · Public Safety & Security · Emergency Management · Preventing Infant Abduction · Child Predator Protection · Narcotic Diversion Investigations · Multi-Facility Management · Asset Protection · Hospital Security · Continuous Process Improvement · Crisis Event Management

View Risk and Threat Analysis Management, LLC's Consulting Profile.

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

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.

Wayne G. Hipsley, BSc, MSc, has over 40 years of educational and practical experience in the business of horses. He currently provides legal expertise on a wide variety of issues pertaining to horses in local, regional, national, international, recreational, and professional settings. Mr. Hipsley's equine related work experience includes serving in many different roles in the horse industry on a domestic and international level. His diverse background provides a wide range of expertise. Litigation Support - Mr. Hipsley offers litigation support services to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense. He has reviewed over 50 cases, been deposed 8 times, and has qualified and participated in 6 court testimonies. Areas of Expertise:

Selected Case Histories:

• Personal Injury
• Horse Parentage Qualification Dispute
• Loss of Income
• Intelligent Property and Copyright
• Sale of Horses
• Personal Injury
• Horse Show Disqualification
• Death of Rider
• Defective Tack and Equipment
• Veterinary Care
• Appraisals
• Riding Instructor Provides Improper Supervision
• Mounted Police Caused Injuries
• Misrepresented Horses at Sale
• Sleighing and Driving Accidents

View Wayne Hipsley's Consulting Profile.

Robert F. Jalnos is currently a Managing Partner, CEO, and Responsible Master Plumber (RMP, 45 Years) for Dr J Plumbing Contractors, LLC. He has over 45 years of experience as a Licensed Master Plumber in the State of Texas. Mr. Jalnos also currently holds a Master Medical Gas Endorsement, and a Master Multipurpose Fire Sprinkler Endorsement with the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. He is licensed and certified with the Texas Railroad Commission on the installation of LPG Gas Systems.

Qualifications:

• The installations of PEX, PROPRESS, Copper, Steel, Duriron, CPVC Piping. PVC and Cast Iron DWV below and above the foundation, Plumbing site preparation, Sewer, Septic Tanks, Potable Water, Natural and LPG Gas, Medical Gas, Multi-Purposed Fire Sprinkler systems and CSST systems. 
• All types of plumbing installations including Rough In, Slab Water Pulls, Top Outs, Fixture Setting, Sewer installation, Water Service installation, Underground and Above Ground Gas lines, Plumbing Service and Repair, as well as operating machinery for plumbing installations
• Expert Forensic Analysis of system failures
• U.S. Patent Laws pertaining to Plumbing Products
• Uniform and International Plumbing Codes 
• Certified Bathroom Designer (CBD) certified by the National Kitchen and Bath Association
• Certified Green Plumber

Litigation Support - Mr. Jalnos has provided expert plumbing analysis and forensic investigations for the past 20 years. His cases include all aspects of plumbing, materials, installation, workmanship, and problem solving. Mr. Jalnos has been retained in over 75 cases and offers services to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant.

Peter Jaramillo, CIH, is a Certified Industrial Hygienist with nearly 40 years of experience in Occupational Health & Safety and Public Health. As Principal at Delta Bay Consultants, he has helped hundreds of satisfied clients improve workplace and site safety conditions, meet and exceed regulatory criteria such as OSHA, Cal/OSHA, EPA, NIOSH, and ACGIH, and successfully litigate occupational injury and illness claims.

Litigation Support - Mr. Jaramillo is a  subject matter expert on legal claims related to Occupational Health & Safety. He has provided expert witness services for numerous cases involving exposures to Coccidioides immitis (the "Valley fever" pathogen) in the California Central Valley. He has also supported various cases involving exposures to both Chemical Hazards such as welding fumes, diesel exhaust, and bunker fuel, and Biological Hazards such as histoplasma (a fungus in material contaminated with bird droppings) and Valley fever.

Services include legal research, supporting data collection, including contaminant sampling; document review (industrial hygiene and technical reports, medical records, lab results, chemical data); third-party reviews of previous investigations; and report writing.

Areas of Expertise:

In addition to his own industrial hygiene firm, Peter has served as a corporate CIH for the Oakland office of Intertek/PSI for many years. In 2010, Peter supervised ship decommissioning efforts for the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup in Pascagoula, MS. He provided decontamination oversight, trained workers, reviewed confined space entry data, and provided recommendations for safety procedures. As the on-site CIH for Merck's San Francisco campus in 2009–2010, Peter directed the animal allergens program, conducted risk assessments, managed the industrial hygiene database, and made regulatory compliance recommendations.

View Delta Bay's Business Consulting Profile.

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.

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.