Safety and OSHA Expert Witness

Expert Witness No. 408

Maryland

Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator

EXPERIENCE

Consultant 1978 - present
Consultant in safety and occupational health (OSHA), fire protection, mechanical and electrical systems, heating systems, origin and cause of fires and explosions, construction claims and accidents, reconstruction of accidents, human factors in accidents and fires, product safety, life safety systems.  Registered Professional Engineer in multiple states.  Qualified expert witness.  Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator.

U.S. Veterans Administration
Safety, Occupational Health and Fire Protection Division
Asst. Manager of the Safety, Occupational Health and Fire Protection Division, VA Central Office, Washington, DC 1977 -1978.

Safety, Occupational Health and Fire Protection Engineer for the Washington DC Region, 1976 - 1977.
Employee safety and OSHA inspections for 176 VA hospitals and numerous outpatient clinics, nursing homes, heating and boiler plants and research facilities. VA representative on the National Academy of Science Standing Committee on Fire Protection, and NFPA Committees on Fire Doors and Windows, and Storage of Combustible Supplies in Health Care Occupancies.  Instrumental in bringing VA into compliance with OSHA.  Secretary of Joint Work Group to upgrade existing facilities to current Life Safety Code.  Safety engineering, mechanical engineering and fire protection engineering.

U.S. Navy
Naval Ship Engineering Center, Washington, DC
Hull Machinery Division, Fire Protection Systems and Equipment Section, Acting Head 1976.  Senior Engineer, 1969 - 1975.  Asst. Project Mgr. for Twin Agent System Acquisition.  DART Manager for Magazine Sprinkler System Improvements. Mechanical Engineer designing new systems, and responsible for safe operation and maintenance of existing systems used in naval fleet fire protection, mechanical, and piping systems.  Consultant to other naval activities for safety, fire protection and damage control training, clothing and other fabric safety, fumes, fixtures and finishing materials, and general ship/personnel safety and damage control.  Member of special teams for Carrier Fire Fighting systems, R&D, major ship fire investigations.  Taught courses at US and Pacific Naval bases on design, use, maintenance and repairs to Twin Agent Systems and HCFF Systems.  Mechanical engineering, safety engineering, naval engineering and fire protection engineering.

General Services Administration
Accident & Fire Prevention Branch, Washington, D.C.  1969
Staff safety and fire prevention engineer for GSA Region 3, the National Capital area.  Building code and safety reviews, building design reviews and Life Safety Code analyses for federally owned and leased properties throughout the area.  Safety engineering, mechanical engineering and fire protection engineering.

Utica Mutual Insurance Company
Safety Engineering Department, 1967 - 1969
Staff safety and fire protection engineer, responsible for major risk inspections and analysis of hazards, training of existing safety engineering staff in fire protection principles and inspection requirements, boiler and heating system test and checkouts.  Personally inspected all major ($1 million and higher) risks being considered for insurance coverage.  Performed SMP (Special Multi Peril) and HPR (Highly Protected Risk) inspections.  Safety engineering and fire protection engineering.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

1967
B.S., Fire Protection Engineering, Univ. of MD

1967
Utica Mutual Insurance Company, Utica, NY
Safety Engineering Training

1967, IRM Heating Hazards Safeguards School

U. S. Navy Training Courses:

1970, Military Specification Writing
1971, Supply Readiness Impact of Engineering Decisions
1974, Design Work Study Analysis

1975
Statistical Analysis, University of Maryland

1977
U.S. Veterans Administration
Safety, Occupational Health and Fire Protection Training

1977, 1993
National Fire Protection Association
Life Safety Code Workshop

1977
Federal Safety and Health Council
Safety Refresher Course

1977, Industrial Hygiene Training

1981, Nevada Advanced Arson Seminar

1985
Hughes Institute
Electrical Fires Investigation & Analysis

1985
Univ. of Delaware, Fire and Arson Investigations

1987
Investigative Training Institute
Certificated Private Investigator Course

1988
Univ. of Delaware, Electrical Fire Investigations
Nat'l Assn. of Fire Investigators and Eastern Ky. University
National Fire, Arson, and Explosion

1989, Investigation Seminar

1992
Fire Investigation Instructor
Training Seminar

1993
National Fire Protection Association
Sprinkler Systems Workshop

1994
NFPA/NAFI/EKU
National Advanced Fire, Arson & Explosion Investigation
Science & Technology Program

PROFESSIONAL ACCREDITATION

Registered Professional Engineer
Maryland
California
Pennsylvania

Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)
Certified Fire Investigation Instructor (CFII)

PUBLICATIONS

Available upon request

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Instructor, "Municipal Fire Administration", Northern Virginia Community College, Fire Science Curriculum, 1970

Senior Instructor, U.S. Navy Twin Agent Fire Fighting Systems Training Schools and High Capacity Fog Foam System Training Schools, 1975 - 1976.

Instructor, GSA Supervisor's Safety Training Classes, 1969

Instructor and Course Designer, GSA Sprinkler School, U. of Md., 1969

Numerous Lectures and Seminars given on Safety, Fire Protection, Fire and Arson Investigations, Marine Fires, and Electrical Fire Investigation.

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

Awards
US Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, 1975.
VA Engineering Service Group Meritorious Service Award, 1977.

Letters of commendation and appreciation
A complete list available upon request

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Society of Safety Engineers and Chesapeake Chapter, ASSE

National Fire Protection Association
          Member, Health Care Section
          Member, Industrial Section
          Past Member, Committee on Fire Doors and Windows
          Past Member, Committee on Storage of Combustible
          Supplies in Health Care Occupancies

American Society of Naval Engineers 1969 – 1996

National Society of Professional Engineers
          Maryland Society of Professional Engineers
          Professional Engineers in Private Practice

Society of Fire Protection Engineers
          Full Member

National Academy of Sciences, Standing Committee on
          Fire Protection, Past Member for Veterans Admin

National Association of Fire Investigators

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
          Associate Member

Building Officials and Code Administrators Int'l. (BOCA), Member

Southern Building Code Congress International, Member

International Congress of Building Code Officials, Member

American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC)

KEYWORDS

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