With more than 15 years of experience in fire cause and origin investigations, this expert specializes in the examination of fire and explosion scenes, origin and cause determination, fire pattern interpretation, ignition sequence analysis, arc mapping, evidence recognition and preservation, fire debris analysis, area of origin reconstruction, and chain of custody procedures. His expertise includes investigations involving residential and commercial buildings, industrial facilities, warehouses, shopping centers, marine vessels, oil and gas facilities, agricultural equipment, construction equipment, semi-trucks, grain elevators, wildland fires, and fatality fires. He has also provided expert witness services for more than a decade, including consultations, depositions, and courtroom testimony involving fire and explosion investigations.

His professional experience includes serving as President and Principal, Senior Consultant, Consultant, Certified Fire Investigator, and Private Investigator within private forensic consulting and fire investigation firms. Throughout his career, he has conducted more than 2,000 fire and explosion investigations involving complex commercial, industrial, petrochemical, agricultural, marine, vehicle, and residential losses. His work has included origin and cause investigations, liability and subrogation analyses, evidence documentation and preservation, witness interviews, report reviews, photograph analysis, live fire testing, and large-loss incident management. He has also led multidisciplinary investigation teams, delivered continuing education programs for the insurance industry, and investigated fires involving refineries, warehouses, retail facilities, heavy equipment, agricultural machinery, vehicles, and multiple-fatality incidents.

He earned a Master of Science in Forensics and completed additional education in Fire Protection. His professional credentials include designation as a Certified Fire Investigator (IAAI-CFI), Certified Evidence Collection Technician (IAAI-ECT), Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator and Instructor (CFEI-I), and National Board Fire Investigator, along with private investigator licenses in multiple states. He is a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI), the International Fire Investigation Research Institute (IFIRI), the National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI), and the Minnesota Association of Private Investigators (MAPI). In addition, he has served as a guest lecturer and instructor and has authored numerous publications on fire investigation, scene documentation, fire chemistry, hydrocarbon chemistry, and forensic fire investigation practices.