JAMIE MCALLISTER, Ph.D., P.E., C.F.I., C.S.P
Dr. McAllister is the Founder and Technical Director of FireTox, LLC. She is a licensed fire protection engineer, a forensic toxicologist, a certified fire investigator (CFI), and a certified safety professional (CSP). Dr. McAllister has been involved in the field of fire science since 1995 when she joined the volunteer fire service. The fire service inspired Dr. McAllister to obtain her Bachelor and Master degrees in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park.
In 2010, Dr. McAllister further compounded her expertise in the forensic investigation field by completing her PhD in Toxicology from the University of Maryland, School of Medicine. For over two decades, Dr. McAllister has immersed herself in the research and investigation of fire, combustion, and toxicological incidents and driven change in fire prevention and investigation standards. She has investigated hundreds of fires and offered expert opinions in depositions and trials on issues such as contributory causes in fire deaths and injuries, the impact of code violations and building construction on fire growth and spread, product failures and defects, fire dynamics, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
In addition to her experience in the research and investigation field, Dr. McAllister also served as an Authority Having Jurisdiction, i.e. code official, for the federal government. In her role as an AHJ and CSP, Dr. McAllister was responsible for the development of fire and life safety programs, as well as, the enforcement of fire and life safety provisions set forth in OSHA regulations, the International Building and Fire Codes, and NFPA standards. Her duties included review of design and construction submittals, laboratory hazard analyses, fire protection and life safety system design and commissioning, management of fire alarm and suppression system inspection, testing, and maintenance, and safety incident investigation. Dr. McAllister is also an adjunct professor in the Fire Protection Engineering Graduate Program at the University of Maryland, College Park where she teaches graduate students about combustion toxicity and human behavior in fire.
BRIAN MCALLISTER, B.S.F.Sc., C.F.E.I.
Mr. McAllister is the business administrator and co-owner of FireTox, LLC, as well as a fire investigator and fire science researcher. Mr. McAllister has been involved in the field of fire science since joining the volunteer fire service in 1989. His passion for firefighting led him into the career fire service in 1998 as a federal firefighter at the Marine Corp Logistics Base in Albany, GA. Mr. McAllister was subsequently hired by the District of Columbia Fire Department in Washington D.C. in 2001 where he currently holds the rank of Captain. In addition to his experience in the fire service, Mr. McAllister previously worked as a fire science technician. In this position, he gained experience in fire origin and cause investigation and fire research and development. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science in Fire Science from the University of Maryland. He holds numerous fire service certifications and is a NAFI Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator.