James began his career as a firefighter before earning degrees in Mechanical and Fire Protection Engineering, where he focused on egress simulation and computational fluid dynamics fire modeling before transitioning to forensic firework.
Mr. Lord Provides forensic engineering support and origin & cause analysis for fire and explosion investigations. He specializes in failure analyses of fire detection and alarm systems and fire suppression systems, analysis of appliances and product fire performance, fire and materials research, process hazard analysis, fire hazard analysis, and computer fire modeling. Mr. Lord is experienced in industrial losses such as dust explosions, wood pellet storage facilities, and a wide range of other operations involving conveyance systems, dust hazards, storage areas, and hazardous process issues. He provides scene management, litigation support services, and expert testimony. Mr. Lord has provided expert testimony in both U.S. and Canadian courts and has worked and provided training all over the world.
Prior to joining Reax Engineering Inc., he spent 10 years investigating fires, performing forensic engineering analyses and serving as an expert witness for the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, participating in hundreds of investigations from small residential fires to large industrial fires and explosions. He then spent 2 years as a Senior Fire & Forensic Engineer at Jensen Hughes, and now heads the Reax Engineering Inc. office in Washington, DC.
