Expert Details
Fire and Explosion Safety
ID: 732760
California, USA
In 1993, Expert founded his own organization, dedicated to fire safety research and consulting. He has served as a technical consultant on major international fire safety research projects, such as CBUF, TOXFIRE, and FIPEC, and continues to be a sought-after expert in fire investigations and litigation. His work has led to the development of several key fire safety instruments which have become standard tools in laboratories worldwide, as well as one of his inventions being recognized as the most important bench-scale tool for measuring how fast materials burn.
Expert is a prolific author, with over 400 published papers and reports, as well as 3 technical and ground-breaking textbooks, solidifying his reputation as a leading authority in fire safety science. In addition to his research and consulting work, Expert has taught graduate-level courses at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the University of British Columbia, and has delivered hundreds of lectures and presentations worldwide. He also continues to teach specialized courses on electrical fires and fire science principles to fire investigators.
Expert has received numerous awards for his contributions to fire safety. His expertise spans a wide range of areas, including fire resistance, fire toxicity, hazardous materials, electrical fires and explosions, fire modeling, and the development of fire test standards. His work has been instrumental in shaping modern fire protection engineering and continues to influence the field today.
Expert is an accomplished leader in fire protection engineering, having made significant contributions to the field over his career. He is the first person to ever be awarded a Ph.D. in Fire Protection Engineering, which he received from the University of California, Berkeley. He also earned an M.S. in Structural Engineering from the same institution and holds an A.B. in Physics from Swarthmore College, with a concentration in electrical engineering.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1976 | Degree: Ph.D. | Subject: Fire Protection Engineering | Institution: University of California Berkeley |
| Year: 1972 | Degree: M.S. | Subject: Structural Engineering | Institution: University of California Berkeley |
| Year: 1968 | Degree: A.B. | Subject: Physics | Institution: Swarthmore College |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 1993 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: President | Department: |
Responsibilities:Fire science and technology firm devoted to consulting on fire safety issues, as well as conducting fire safety research and development. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2002 to 2002 | Employer: Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Title: Adjunct Full Professor | Department: Fire Protection Engineering |
Responsibilities:Taught graduate students Ignition Phenomena in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1998 to 1998 | Employer: University of British Columbia | Title: Lecturer | Department: Fire Protection Engineering |
Responsibilities:Taught fire dynamics to Master’s degree students in the Fire Protection Engineering program. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1977 to 1993 | Employer: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (formerly U.S. National Bureau of Standards) | Title: Fire Prevention Engineer | Department: Center for Fire Research |
Responsibilities:Led various programs and research groups in materials flammability, fire toxicity, test method development, upholstered furniture flammability, building code fire safety requirements, and fire resistance. Responsibilities included research and group administration. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1973 to 1976 | Employer: University of California | Title: Research Specialist | Department: Fire Test Laboratories |
Responsibilities:Specialized in fire modeling, test furnace design and fundamental studies on fire endurance. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1969 to 1971 | Employer: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Title: Civil Engineer | Department: Philadelphia |
Responsibilities:Designed roads, bridges, and waterworks for the Army Corps of Engineers. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1968 to 1969 | Employer: University of Pennsylvania | Title: Assistant Instructor | Department: Physics Department |
Responsibilities:Taught laboratory courses to physics undergraduates. |
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International Experience
| Years | Country / Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Years: 1993 to 1995 | Country / Region: Sweden | Summary: Consulting Scientist at SP Laboratories. |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| • American Society for Testing and Materials (since 1973) • The Combustion Institute (since 1975) • International Association of Fire Safety Science (since 1989) • International Association of Arson Investigators (since 1996) • International Code Council; formerly ICBO (since 1993) • National Fire Protection Association (since 1975) • Society of Fire Protection Engineers (since 1991; grade of Fellow) Technical Committee Membership: • ANSI US National Committee Technical Advisory Group, Safety of Electronic Equipment (since 2012) • ASTM Committee on Electrical and Electronic Insulating Materials (since 1991). • ASTM Committee on Plastics (since 1996). • ASTM Committee on Fire Standards (since 1973). • ASTM Committee on Hazard Potential of Chemicals (since 1999). • ASTM Committee on Forensic Sciences (since 2004). • International Association of Fire Safety Science – Management Committee (since 2005). • NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Investigations (since 2006). • NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Reporting (since 2015). • NFPA Safety to Life/Technical Committee on Furnishings and Contents (since 1994). • SFPE Standards Making Committee on Calculating Fire Exposures to Structures (since 2004). • SFPE Task Group on Fire Exposures (2002-2004). |
| Professional Appointments |
|---|
| Technical Committee Positions: • UL Standards Technical Panel, Smoke Detectors and Alarms (since 2014). • UL Standards Technical Panel, Surface Burning Testing of Building Materials, Member (since 2003). • UL Standards Technical Panel, Fire Tests of Insulated Wall Constructions, Member (since 2004). • UL Standards Technical Panel, Fire Tests of Pneumatic Tubing and Plastic Sprinkler Pipe for Flame and Smoke Characteristics (since 2005). • UL Standards Technical Panel, Audio, Video and Similar Electronic Apparatus – Safety Requirements (since 2012). • US National Committee of IEC, Technical Advisory Group (since 2012). • ISO Technical Commission of Fire Safety, Working Group on Ignitability, Assigned U.S. expert (1987-1998). |
| Awards / Recognition |
|---|
| • Howard W. Emmons Lectureship, IAFSS (the Society’s highest award) • Arthur B. Guise Medal, Society of Fire Protection Engineers (the Society’s highest award) • Vilhelm Sjölin Award, Forum for International Cooperation on Fire Research • Jack Bono Engineering Communications Award, SFPE • Research Award for Foreign Specialists, Building Research Institute, Japan • The S. H. Ingberg Award, ASTM • The Edward Bennett Rosa Award, NIST • ASTM Award of Recognition • Interflam Trophy Award, Interflam Conferences • Building and Fire Research Laboratory Communicator Award, NIST • ASTM Award of Appreciation • R&D 100 Award, for developing the Cone Calorimeter • Research Award for Foreign Specialists, Building Research Institute, Japan • U.S. Department of Commerce Bronze Medal |
| Medical / Professional |
|---|
| Editorial Board Positions: • Fire and Flammability Bulletin • Fire Safety Journal • Fire and Materials • Fire Science Reviews • Flame Retardancy and Thermal Stability of Materials • Journal of Fire Sciences • Journal of Civil Engineering and Management • European Journal of Environmental and Safety Sciences |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| Expert has published over 350 papers and reports and has 3 technical books. He has several inventions, including: an instrument for measuring fire properties of materials and products in bench scale; an instrument that measures the fire property of furniture items, stored goods, appliances, and other less-than-room sized commodities; a bench-scale test used to determine the fire toxicity properties of materials and products; and an instrument that determines the real-time combustion equivalence ratio of fires. |
Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| Expert has testified at depositions around 100 times, and appeared in courtroom trials as an expert witness several dozen times. He has also testified in trials in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. |
| Training / Seminars |
|---|
| Expert has given hundreds of lectures and presentations. He has taught graduate-level engineering courses at the University of British Columbia and at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. In recent years, he has been regularly teaching classes to fire investigators on fire science principles, as applied to origin-and-cause investigation of fires. He developed the unique Principles of Electrical Fires course, which is the only advanced course on investigation of electrical fires focusing on the fundamental underlying principles. The following standards in the fire safety area were primarily developed by Expert or were based on his inventions: • ASTM E 1354 (Cone Calorimeter) • ISO 5660 (Cone Calorimeter) • NFPA 271 (Cone Calorimeter) • NFPA 269 (fire toxicity) • ASTM E 1474 (furniture test, bench-scale) • NFPA 272 (furniture test, bench-scale) • UL 1056 (furniture test, large-scale) • NFPA 267 (mattress test) • ASTM E 1590 (mattress test) • ASTM E 1357 (furniture test, large-scale) • NFPA 266 (furniture test, large-scale) • NORDTEST NT FIRE 032 (furniture test, large-scale) • CAN/ULC-S135 (combustibility of materials and products) • MIL-STD-2031 SH (naval composites) • NASA NHB 8060.1C (elevated oxygen material test) • ASTM F 1550M (bench-scale test for prison mattresses and furniture) |
Fields of Expertise
fire safety, explosion, electrical fire, explosion investigation, explosion safety, fire toxicity, electrical fires, electrical explosions, fire test standards, fire resistance, hazardous materials, fire modeling, fire protection engineering, fire protection, instrument design, heat transfer, civil engineering, structural engineering, combustion, analytical chemistry, gas analysis, infrared spectroscopy, performance testing, marine fire, metallurgy, electrical artifacts, electric arcs, hazmat explosions, fire corrosivity, ignitability, self heating, spontaneous combustion, electric faults and failures, fire ignition, flame spread, pool fires, smoke production, fire test data, fire test apparatus, fire test instrumentation, furniture flammability