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Fires and Explosions - Table of Contents - links to content on this page to top of page ?  Our Forensic Engineering Work - number of  ? Cases  ? Reports  ? Affidavits  ? Testimonies   ?  Our Fire & Explosion Work ?  Examples of Facilities Analyzed ?  Examples of Equipment Analyzed ?  Engineering Analysis of Fires & Explosions  ?  Other Experience & Qualifications ?  Curriculum Vitae, CV, Resume' ?  Contact Us by Phone, Mail or Email  ?  Consult, before and after assignment ?  Qualifications in regard to Fires & Explosions  ?  Our Typical Work Activities and Products ?  Presentation of The Results of Our Work ?  Fee Schedule Availability

?  Geographic Area available for Work ?  Links to Other Pages (left sidebars) ?  Also see  Hazardous Combustion , including Furnace and Boiler Explosions, on another page. ?  Also see  Industrial and Commercial Operations and Construction Activities , on another page.

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E xperience and Qualifications of James D. Madden, P.E. in regard to  I ndustrial and     Equipment Fires and Explosions ? including furnace, heater and boiler explosions

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? over  45 incidents involving fires, explosion and/or hazardous combustion  have been investigated and reconstructed as part of the  forensic engineering work  during the last 30 years, including  heater, boiler and furnace fires and explosions See more about our work with industrial and equipment fires and explosions in the sections below . ? took  4 college courses  in physics and  8 college courses  in chemistry, including coverage of the physics and chemical reactions associated with fires and explosions

• designed combustion equipment  including  furnaces, boilers, and heaters , and their associated  instrumentation  and auxiliary equipment

• designed for the use of fire  in unusual ways, including designing elevated flares and burn pits 

• designed to prevent and suppress fire,  including designing fire-fighting and fire and explosion suppression systems 

? earned  2 Engineering degrees , Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering, and took additional post-degree coursework, with coursework in physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering mechanics, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and normal psychology ? earned the  Professional Engineers license  (P.E.) by taking the National Council of Engineering Examiners' (NCEE) examination in Fundamentals of Engineering and the  Mechanical Engineering  and  Chemical Engineering  sections of the NCEE examination in Principles and Practices of Engineering ? designated a  Diplomate Forensic Engineer  by the National Academy of Forensic Engineers in accordance with the standards of the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB) ? at the start of forensic work, completed  refresher and additional post-degree college credit coursework  and continuing education coursework in mechanical engineering, metallurgy and materials ?  attended  engineering seminars  presented by the National Academy of Forensic Engineers ? regularly attend additional  technical courses and seminars  each year to meet the requirements for continuing engineering education for the Professional Engineer's license ?  over  40 years of engineering experience , with:  ?  17 years experience in  industrial operations, engineering design  and  construction assistance  ?  30 years experience in  forensic engineering , including:   ?  testifying in  over 90 depositions  and  over 75 trials ?  issuing  over 600 reports  and  over 60 affidavits ?  working on  over 1000 cases See more about qualifications of  James D. Madden, P.E. on the  Qualifications Page . See details of the forensic work throughout this website, and a summary on the  Employment Page . See details of the pre-forensic work on the  Employment Page  and the  Engineering Design Page .

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O ur  Engineering Analysis of Equipment and Industrial Fires and Explosions

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Our Engineering Analyses of Equipment and Industrial Fires and Explosions include, as appropriate,  investigation, engineering analysis  and  reconstruction  of the incident.

Work in this area generally covers: 

• determining the causes of fire and explosion 

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• determining whether equipment, equipment auxiliaries and equipment instrumentation and controls:

• were defective in regard to safety:

• in design

• in manufacture 

• in installation 

• lacked adequate safeguards and warnings

• conformed to appropriate accepted engineering safety practices, standards and regulations, including fired-equipment codes and general fire codes.  

• determining whether facilities and equipment installation conformed with appropriate accepted engineering practices, codes, standards and regulations in regard to safety, including fire codes and fired-equipment codes

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• determining whether materials of construction were safe, including facility materials in proximity to fired-equipment

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• determining whether fuel and ignition sources were properly separated

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• determining whether safety equipment, facilities and procedures were in place and were properly used  

Work in this area also generally includes  determining  whether revision of facilities or equipment was required for safety.  Reconstruction of incidents  involving combustion equipment and systems includes auxiliary equipment and components, and instrumentation and controls. Reconstruction determines whether such equipment and/or systems caused or contributed to the accident.  

<< click for a description of the typical activities and work performed << click for examples of  analyzed facilities << click for examples of analyzed Equipment                                   

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E xamples of Analyzed Facilities involved in Equipment and Industrial Fires and Explosions                                                 ? see examples of analyzed equipment in next section below

• single-family residences

• multi-family residences

• motorhomes

• natural gas pipeline

• hydrogen loading facilities

• gasoline service stations

• marinas

• commercial laundry

• restaurant

• scrap and metal processing facilities

• various other industrial facilities 

see the section below for examples of equipment analyzed

E xamples of Analyzed Equipment involved in Equipment and Industrial Fires and Explosions                                                   ? see examples of analyzed facilities in previous section above

• automobiles 

• motorboats

• personal watercraft ("jet skis")

• incinerators in multi-story buildings

• trash chutes in multi-story buildings

• space heaters

• residential  furnaces

• industrial furnaces and boilers

• industrial process heaters

• hydrogen tankers (over the road trailers)

• gasoline storage tanks

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see the section above for examples of facilities analyzed

O ur Typical Work Activities and Products, when warranted by the case Our work investigating, analyzing and reconstructing accidents, and presenting the results, may include any  or all of the following, depending on the needs of the case:  ? inspection of the accident site , such as a roadway, outdoor facilities, building or industrial facilities ? inspection of the involved equipment , in current condition, including in damaged condition (such as crashed vehicles); and when available for operation, during operation (such as industrial equipment) ? photography  and/or  video  of the accident site and involved equipment ? interviewing witnesses  (often during the inspection of the accident site, product and/or equipment) ? review and study  of case documents, evidence and applicable codes, standards, regulations and recommended practices ? testing  accident items and exemplar items (such as consumer products) ? drawings, calculations, graphical analyses, computer analyses , etc. as required to analyze and reconstruct the accident, and to present the engineering analysis and reconstruction ?  written  reports  and  affidavits , and  exhibits ? coordinating or interfacing with others while they are preparing  specialized exhibits  such as video animations and videos of demonstrations ? testimony in deposition ,  trial  and  arbitration

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P resentation of results of our work We present the results of our investigations, engineering analyses and reconstructions in  the client's choice of any, or all, of the following:  ? verbal reports,  by telephone or in face-to-face conferences ?  written  reports  and  affidavits ? deposition testimony,  including video deposition ? trial testimony  and arbitration testimony

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F orensic Engineering Work by Senior Forensic Engineer James D. Madden, P.E.  James D. Madden, P.E., while performing  Forensic Engineering  work full-time for over  the last  30 years , for both plaintiff and defendant, has to date: ?  completed  over 1000 cases ?  written and issued  over 600 reports           ?  written and issued  over 60 affidavits ?  testified in  over 75 trials                  ?  testified in  over 90 depositions For more on qualifications see the  Qualifications Page .  <<< Click on the underlined text

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C ontact information

For mailing  address ,  phone ,  fax  and  email  address click a button below the Fee Schedule section.

F ee Schedule

Contact us by phone, fax, mail or email for a copy of the Fee Schedule for charges for engineering and consulting services and testimony.  Click a button below for contact information.

G eographic Area of Practice - North America 

Over the last 30 years we have regularly worked on accidents which occurred in  Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York and nearby , including inspections of accident sites, equipment, and facilities, with reports and testimony. During these 30 years we have also worked on accidents which occurred in  other states , and equipment and facilities located in other states, with inspections of accident sites, equipment, and facilities,  from Utah and Kansas to Vermont and North Carolina,  with reports and testimony for these accidents, when applicable.

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Madden Accident Analysis &   Forensic Engineering

Madden Accident Analysis & Forensic Engineering 1700 West Market Street, Suite 318, Akron, Ohio 44313, or 8803 Brecksville Road, Suite 7-216, Cleveland, Ohio 44141 phone: 440-838-1191 or 440-832-9540, fax: 440-838-1192 email address: [email protected]

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