011260 Senior Fire & Explosion Investigator
Description
This expert is a Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator, Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Professional Insurance Investigator, and a Certified Fire Investigation Instructor. He specializes in determining the origin, cause, and circumstances of structural, vehicular, and marine fires. He retired from the position of Division Chief after twenty-six years of dedicated service with the local county Fire Department, which also includes eight years in the capacity of Fire Marshal. As an independent investigator, he specializes in conducting Origin & Cause Investigations primarily for the legal and insurance community. Over the past 35 years, he has conducted over 10,000 fire investigations.
This expert was an adjunct instructor for the National Fire Academy and developed a 56 hour training program with emphasis on NFPA 921 & NFPA 1033 which qualifies attendees to become Certified Fire Investigators. He has accumulated in excess of 4500 hours of training in the fields of Fire Investigation, Fire Protection, Fire Service Management, Fire Ground Operations and Law Enforcement.
This expert holds expert witness qualifications in Fire Origin & Cause Investigations, Fire Suppression, and Fire Protection. He has qualified as an expert in various Circuit & Federal Court venues.
Academic Background
• Anne Arundel County Fire Academy
• A.A., Fire Protection Technology, Catonsville Community College
• B.S., Fire Science, University College, University of Maryland
• Anne Arundel County Police Academy
• Certificate, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Anne Arundel Community College
Teaching Experience
• Developed and taught Fire/Arson Investigation course (56 classroom hours)
• In-service Training Instructor, local County Fire Department: "Fire Arson Detection"
• Adjunct Instructor, National Fire Academy: Fire Arson Detection", "Preparing for Incident Command", "Commanding the Initial Response", "Building Construction: Wood and Ordinary", "Building Construction: Protected and Non-combustible", "Fire Service Supervision", and "Conducting Fire Prevention Inspections".
• Boat Fire Investigations, New Jersey State Police Arson / Bomb Unit
• Digital Photography, NASP
• Subrogation, Allstate Insurance in Roanoke VA.
Courses taught for the National Fire Academy and the local County Fire Department:
• Preparing for Incident Command
• Commanding the Initial Response
• Fire Service Supervision - Personal Effectiveness
• Fire Service Supervision - Team Effectiveness
• Building Construction - Wood & Ordinary
• Building Construction - Protected & Non-combustible
• Conducting Basic Fire Prevention Inspections
• Fire/Arson Detection, this course was taught in North Carolina for State Training Weekend.
Professional Work Experience
• Senior Fire and Explosion Investigator, RTI, Annapolis MD, 2016 - present
• President/CEO, Private Consulting Firm., 1991 – present
• Retired Division Chief, local county Fire Department
• local County Fire Department, Recruit Class 14
• Promoted to Firefighter 3, Assigned to the Fire Marshals Office, Code Enforcement
• Promoted to Lieutenant
• Promoted to Captain
• Promoted to Battalion Chief
• Promoted to Division Chief
• Acting Deputy Chief
• Fire Marshal, County Fire Department
• Senior Cause and Origin Investigator, FTI Corporation, Annapolis, Md.
Professional Certifications
• Fire and Explosion Investigator, National Association of Fire Investigators
• Vehicle Fire Investigator, National Association of Fire Investigators
• Fire Investigator, National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications
• Fraud Examiner, National Association of Fraud Examiners
• Certified Professional Insurance Investigator, Investigative Resources Global, Inc.
• Hazardous Materials Response Team Specialist, National Fire Academy
• Fire Prevention Officer, National Fire Academy
• Fire Training Specialist, National Fire Academy
• Fire Officer IV, National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications
• Fire Instructor III, National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications
• Firefighter III, National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications
Professional Affiliations
• International Association of Fire Investigators
• Maryland Arson Investigators Association
• DC/MD Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators
• National Association of Fire Investigators
• National Fire Protection Association
• Fire Marshals Association of North America
• The Building Officials and Code Administrators Association
• Anne Arundel County Professional Fire Officers Association
• Maryland Chapter Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
• National Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
• National Association of Subrogation Professionals
• International Association of Marine Investigators