Fire Expert Witnesses in Arkansas

This expert has 25+ years of law enforcement experience, for the vast majority of which he served as a fire investigator for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A certified fire investigator with both the ATF and the International Association of Arson Investigators, he has consulted for police forces in countries such as Colombia and Latvia on arson investigation practices. Since 2014, he has operated an independent fire investigation consultancy.

This expert specializes in electrical engineering issues, and has performed numerous investigations into fires caused/allegedly caused by electrical issues. His experience includes evaluation of electronics products and their failure modes to determine whether they adhered to relevant safety standards, including those established by Underwriters Laboratories and the Canadian Standards Association. He has also evaluated products and components for structural wiring compliance with the National Electric Code. His projects have included a wide array of products and components, including but not limited to electronics, appliances, HVAC/R, residential and commercial wiring, and battery failure analysis, with an emphasis on lithium ion battery chemistry. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in multiple states, and holds a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator certification.

This expert has over years of experience in prescribed fire, controlled burns, wildfire, and smoke impacts to people, vegetation, and infrastructure. He earned his BS in plant science at Cameron University and his MS in range science at Texas Tech University. This expert is active in his field as a member of the Oklahoma Volunteer Fire Department, the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils, and the Alliance of Prescribed Burn Associations. He is also highly-published in his field, having written one book on prescribed fire, authored or co-authored 36 extension fact sheets, and 42 peer-reviewed research articles. He began his career as a research assistant at Texas Tech University before going on to serve as a research station superintendent and a research associate at Oklahoma State University. Currently, this expert serves as a research extension specialist in prescribed fire at a university in Oklahoma.