Fire expert witness James McMullen is court qualified having testified over 125 times in deposition or trial. He has 40 years of experience in fire service administration and operations, including strategic fire planning and evaluating public fire services. Additionally he’s qualified to testify in the administration of building and fire codes as well as laws, regulations, ordinances and standards, to evaluate fire and life safety. The training of fire professionals is another area of his expertise.
As Chief of the California State Fire Marshal's office, McMullen also was the chair of California’s Special Arson Task Force and gained extensive experience in the investigation of fire origin, cause and spread. Additionally his expertise includes negligence of fire department operations and management. He is a leading expert in fire safety roofing and wildland fire safety, window safety and serves on the National Safety Councils Window Safety Task Force. He serves as Executive Director of the National Code Services Association, a division of the Western Fire Chiefs Association.
CODE COMPLIANCE INSPECTIONS
The McMullen Company, is highly qualified to conduct and has conducted hundreds of fire safety code compliance inspections. Those inspections include specific areas of inspection as requested for litigation support and include a forensic code compliance inspection of a specific area or item. The unique forensic fire group of The McMullen Company Inc. has the ability to conduct the inspection of interest involved in litigation and research the history of the codes in effect at the time the building was built, occupancy taken, or date of the incident. The complete code library of The McMullen Company includes, national and model building codes, fire codes, as well as, standards that were in effect at the time of interest. Additionally,with we have ability to conduct complete surveys of facilities in support of fire departments, government entities, as well as citizens and private industry. A survey and report of a facility or occupancy is possible in cases where a complex condition is beyond the scope of knowledge the local authority having jurisdiction.
FIRE/BUILDING CODE ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT
We have the unique ability to research building codes as far back as they exist, due to the archival library stored in our offices and our researching capabilities. We also participate in the various model code development processes and have the ability to participate in the various governmental organizational procedures. We have helped develop new codes, as well as, successfully researched the history of existing codes. Our expertise includes fire and life safety codes, standards, regulations and laws, as well as, the fire and life safety provisions of various building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical codes. We have assisted in amending the various codes and standards and our forensic experts can provide litigation support on issues relating to codes and standards.
FIRE ORIGIN, CAUSE, SPREAD, INVESTIGATION
TMC under the leadership of James McMullen has provided forensic support for fire origin, cause and spread investigations throughout North America. Collectively, with hundreds of years of experience in fire investigation, our expert fire team has the ability to determine cause and origin consistent with current investigative standards. Numerous large loss fires that have been involved in litigation have been investigated by our forensic fire group and expert testimony has been given at deposition, arbitration and trial. In addition to traditional origin and cause investigation, we are in the unique position to opine as to the code deficient issues relating to the fire spread. This unique ability is based on the fact that The McMullen Company maintains a complete library of historic codes with the ability to determine the code in effect at the time of the incident.
FIRE SAFETY PRODUCT ANALYSIS
Our fire safety product analysis includes the evaluation and testing of fire safety products for introduction or expansion into the fire and life safety marketplace. Moreover, inspection evaluation testing for litigation support relating to product defect is a service provided by our group. Our fire expert group and James McMullen conduct fire safety product analysis which includes evaluation and testing in support of fire safety products for introduction or expansion into the fire safety marketplace. We can provide inspection and evaluation testing for litigation support relating to product defects.
WILDFIRE AND WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE
TMC has extensive experience in firefighting operations and have served on numerous committees and organizations; developing codes, standards and laws regarding wildfire issues. We have provided litigation support on numerous major wildfires including San Diego Wildfires, Oakland Berkeley Hills Fire and the Island Fire (Catalina). Our associates provide expertise relating to Wildland Fire Agencies response cost recovery.
WINDOW SAFETY
James McMullen provides expert consulting and litigation support on window falls and window safety. He has extensive experience and expertise in window safety including fall safety, fire department rescue, fire escape, security bars, window guards and window glazing. He is a member of the National Safety Council’s Window Safety Task Force. He contributed to the development of two ASTM standardsF2090-01a and F2006-06 and served on the National Fire Protection Associations Security Bars and Home Security and Fire Safety Task Force. He also contributed to the development of UL Report 2326. He has lectured on several occasions on window safety and participated in code and regulatory changes relating to window safety.
LAWS, REGULATIONS, CODES AND STANDARDS
We maintain an extensive library both current and historical of various codes, standards, laws and regulations and members have testified numerous times on interpretation of specific sections of laws, regulations, codes and standards in effect during various periods of time. Expertise in the relationship between laws (statutes and ordinances) codes (model, state and local) and standards (national, state and local), and standards of care has been opined successfully in numerous court cases.
FIRE PROTECTION CONSTRUCTION
We provide evaluation of performance during a fire or compliance with applicable codes, laws and standards. TMC holds an extensive library of codes, laws and standards which include numerous archival documents for historic evaluations of fire resistivity construction requirements for litigation support of construction defects or construction management evaluation inspections.
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