Academic Credentials
  • M.S., Fire Protection Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, 1998
  • B.S., Fire Protection Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, 1996
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer, Nevada, #025229
  • Professional Engineer, Virginia, #0402045406
  • Professional Engineer, North Carolina, #041960
  • Professional Engineer, Illinois, #062061500
  • Professional Engineer, Tennessee, #113898
  • Professional Engineer, Missouri, #2017037507
  • Professional Engineer, West Virginia, #22098
  • Professional Engineer, New Jersey, #24GE04845800
  • Professional Engineer, Mississippi, #27690
  • Professional Engineer, South Carolina, #28379
  • Professional Engineer, Maryland, #31236
  • Professional Engineer, Kentucky, #39255
  • Professional Engineer, Wisconsin, #39698-6
  • Professional Engineer, Michigan, #6201062948
  • Professional Engineer, New York, #86751
  • Professional Engineer, Colorado, #PE-0042866
  • Professional Engineer, Rhode Island, #PE.0009587
  • Professional Engineer, Ohio, #PE.77174
  • Professional Engineer, Georgia, #PE047984
  • Professional Engineer, Pennsylvania, #PE076022
  • Professional Engineer, Indiana, #PE11100127
  • Professional Engineer, Maine, #PE19346
  • Professional Engineer, Kansas, #PE25520
  • Professional Engineer, Connecticut, #PEN.0031625
  • Professional Engineer Fire, Texas, #115012
  • Professional Engineer Fire, New Hampshire, #12760
  • Professional Engineer Fire, Delaware, #16006
  • Professional Engineer Fire, California, #1707
  • Professional Engineer Fire, Massachusetts, #55765
  • Professional Engineer Fire, Arizona, #57736
  • Professional Engineer Fire, Florida, #78333
  • Professional Engineer Fire, Wyoming, #PE 17971
  • Professional Engineer Fire, Louisiana, #PE.0039423
  • 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operation and Emergency Response Certification (HAZWOPER)
  • OSHA Asbestos Awareness Training
  • Confined Space Entry (29 CFR 1910.146)
  • Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)
  • Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator (CVFI)
  • National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Hot Work Safety Certificate Program
  • Occupational Health and Safety Fire Extinguisher Training, in accordance with OSHA regulation #1910-157
Academic Appointments
  • Webinar Instructor (with Ditch, B): “Development of Fire Protection Guidance for Energy Storage Systems”, June 27, 2019
  • Webinar Instructor (with Ditch, B): “Development of Sprinkler Protection for Warehouse Storage of Lithium Ion Batteries”, April 13, 2017.
  • Instructor: “Scientific Investigation of Fires and Explosions”, Professional Development Seminar, University of Maryland, April 10, 2017.
  • Webinar Instructor (with Blum, AF): National Fire Protection Association webinar: "Hazard Assessment of Lithium Ion Battery Energy Storage Systems", April 2016.
  • Webinar Instructor: Fire Protection Research Foundation webinar: "Responding to Electrical Vehicle Battery Fires," 2014.
  • Guest Lecturer, University of Maryland, Department of Fire Protection Engineering, 2006 - present.
  • Instructor (with F. Mowrer): SFPE Professional Development Conference and Exposition: The Annual Meeting, "Beyond Cause and Origin: Engineering Analysis of Building Fires," 2009, 2010, 2015, 2021.
Professional Honors
  • Hartford Steam Boiler Professional Loss Control Fellowship 1997–1998
  • NASA Graduate Research Assistant UMD, 1997–1998
  • Committee Memberships
  • Former IAAI Grant Management Team, Electric and Alternative Fueled Vehicles, Development of two modules to include a general overview of systems operations of the various alternative fueled vehicles and an introduction into investigation and analysis of fires involving alternative fueled vehicles, 2019-2021.
  • Principal Member: Technical Committee on Hot Work Operations (HWO-AAA), NFPA 51B: Standard for Fire Prevention during Welding, Cutting, and Other Hot Work, National Fire Protection Association, 2008–present; Member of the Smoldering Task Group.
  • Principal Member: Technical Committee on Dry and Wet Chemical Extinguishing Systems (DRY-AAA), NFPA 17: Standard for Dry Chemical Extinguishing Systems and NFPA 17A: Standard for Wet Chemical Extinguishing Systems, National Fire Protection Association, 2009–present.
  • Former Alternate Member: Technical Committee on Fundamentals of Combustion System Hazards (BCS-FUN), NFPA 85: Boiler Combustion System Hazards Code, National Fire Protection Association, 2012–2018, Principal Member 2003–2012.
  • Former Principal Member: (PIP-AAA) NFPA 1620: Recommended Practice for Pre-Incident Planning, National Fire Protection Association, 2008–2016.
  • Former Principal Member: Technical Committee on Fire Tests (FIZ-AAA), National Fire Protection Association (Representing the Upholstered Furniture Action Council), 2011–2017.
  • Former Member: Building/Life Safety Code Technical Committee on Residential Occupancies (SAF-RES, BLD-RES), NFPA 101, Life Safety Code; and NFPA 5000, Building Construction and Safety Code, National Fire Protection Association (Representing the Upholstered Furniture Action Council), 2011–2017.
  • Former Member: Building/Life Safety Code Technical Committee on Furnishings and Contents (SAF-FUR, BLD-FUR), NFPA 101, Life Safety Code; and NFPA 5000, Building Construction and Safety Code, National Fire Protection Association (Representing the Upholstered Furniture Action Council), 2011–2017.
  • Former Member: NFPA Technical Committee on Hazard and Risk of Contents and Furnishings (HAR-AAA): NFPA 555 Guide on Methods for Evaluating Potential for Room Flashover, NFPA 556 Guide on Methods for Evaluating Fire Hazard to Occupants of Passenger Road Vehicles, NFPA 557 Standard Fire Loads for Engineering Design of Structural Fire Resistance in Buildings. (Representing the Upholstered Furniture Action Council), 2009–2017.
  • Former Alternate Member: NFPA Technical Correlating Committee on Professional Qualifications (PQU-AAC), NFPA 1000, NFPA 1001, NFPA 1002, NFPA 1003, NFPA 1005, NFPA 1006, NFPA 1021, NFPA 1026, NFPA 1031, NFPA 1033, NFPA 1035, NFPA 1037, NFPA 1041, NFPA 1051, NFPA 1061, NFPA 1071, NFPA 1072, NFPA 1081, NFPA 1091, NFPA 1521, National Fire Protection Association, 2015–2016.
  • Former Alternate Member: Building/Life Safety Code Technical Committee on Fundamentals, NFPA 101, Life Safety Code; and NFPA 5000, Building Construction and Safety Code, National Fire Protection Association, 2010–2016.
  • Former Principal Member: Technical Committee on Single- and Multiple-Station Alarms and Household Fire Alarm Systems (SIG-HOU): NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm Code, National Fire Protection Association, 2010–2013.
  • Former Member: International Standards Council (ISC), International Code Council (ICC), 2009–2010.
  • Awards
  • National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 2017 Fire Protection Research Foundation Medal National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Fire Protection Research Foundation Report “Lithium Ion Batteries Hazard and Use Assessment – Phase 3”. The Fire Protection Research Foundation Medal recognizes a project completed in 2017 that best exemplifies the Foundation’s fire safety mission and the collaborative approach to execution that is the hallmark of all its projects.
  • National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 2014 Fire Protection Research Foundation Medal, “Best Practices for Emergency Response to Incidents Involving Electric Vehicles Battery Hazards: A Report on Full-Scale Testing Results.” The Fire Protection Research Foundation Medal recognizes a project completed in 2013 that best exemplifies the Foundation’s fire safety mission and the collaborative approach to execution that is the hallmark of all its projects.
  • http://conference.blog.nfpa.org/2014/06/best-practices-for-emergency-response-to-incidents-involving-electric-vehicles-battery-hazards-a-rep.html
  • 2013 William M. Carey Award for best suppression paper, NFPA FPRF Suppression, Detection and Signaling Research and Applications (SUPDET) Symposium, “Flammability Characterization Testing of Lithium Ion Batteries.”
  • http://foundation.blog.nfp.org/2013/07/fire-protection-research-foundation-announces-winners-of-the-2013-william-m-carey-and-ronald-k-menge.html
  • Former Principal Member: Fundamentals (FLC-FUN) NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, National Fire Protection Association, 2021 – 2025
  • Principal Member: Technical Committee on Venting Systems for Cooking Appliances (VEN-AAA) NFPA 96, Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations, National Fire Protection Association, 2021 – present
Professional Affiliations
  • American Fire Sprinkler Association – AFSA (member)
  • International Association of Arson Investigators—IAAI (member)
  • International Code Council®—ICC (professional member)
  • Maryland Society of Professional Engineers—MDSPE (former member)
  • Maryland Fire and Explosion Investigators MFEI-IAAI (member)
  • National Association of Fire Investigators—NAFI (member)
  • National Fire Sprinkler Association – NFSA (member)
  • National Fire Protection Association—NFPA (member)
  • National Society of Professional Engineers—NSPE (member)
  • Society of Fire Protection Engineers—SFPE (professional member grade)
  • Order of the Engineer (member)
  • Boards
  • Member, Board of Visitors, The FIRE Center, University of Maryland, Glenn L. Martin Institute of Technology, A. James Clark School of Engineering, Department of Fire Protection Engineering (2010-2019)
  • Member, Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Editorial Advisory Board for Fire Protection Engineering magazine (2008-present)

Mr. Long is a Corporate Vice President and a Principal Engineer in the Thermal Sciences practice with over two decades of fire protection engineering consulting experience.  

Mr. Long specializes in the prevention, engineering and causative analysis, and origin and cause investigation of fires, explosions, and other thermal events.

Mr. Long provides building and fire protection code consultation and engineered performance-based solutions for the installation and operation of: fire protection and life safety systems, including automatic fire sprinkler, foam, and chemical agent systems; automatic fire alarm and detection systems; commercial cooking fire protection systems; fire protection water infrastructure; wet and dry pre-engineered systems; smoke control systems; and occupant egress systems in residential, commercial, industrial, storage, manufacturing, processing, and other occupancies. He evaluates building construction, occupancies, and fire protection systems for compliance with model building and fire codes.

Mr. Long has specific experience in determining the applicable codes and standards and in the evaluation and inspection of buildings, structures, facilities, processes, equipment, and fire protection systems design, installation, and operation, for compliance with nationally and internationally accepted building and fire safety codes, standards, regulations, and guidelines, including model code families published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the International Code Council (ICC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Mr. Long has developed procedures and protocols for compliance of these systems with applicable codes and standards and has acted as a representative and liaison between clients and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs). Mr. Long also has special expertise in the third-party engineering review of combustion systems.

Mr. Long has significant experience in evaluating the fire safety performance of consumer products as part of potential fire, burn, overheating, and recall investigations. He has experience reviewing engineering designs and the engineering analysis of failure modes and developing laboratory testing protocols as part of these investigations. Mr. Long has specific experience in analyzing sprinkler and fire protection system failures related to freezing events and inadvertent operations, failure to discharge, and failure to control/extinguish which includes analyzing the design, installation, maintenance, and code compliance of the system(s). Mr. Long conducts fire and explosion origin and cause investigations, as well as fire and explosion hazard analysis, and has investigated and analyzed numerous losses in various occupancies ranging from residential fires and explosions to explosions and fires involving industrial, commercial, high-rise, manufacturing, storage, power generation, petroleum, food processing, chemical processes and equipment. He has investigated and analyzed numerous incidents involving: welding and hot work operations; mechanical and HVAC equipment; electrical equipment; firefighter PPE; textiles; garments; scalds, burns, thermal injuries; consumer products; consumer appliances; utilities; candles; self-heating materials; flammable and combustible liquids; combustible dusts; residential and commercial cooking equipment; mattresses; upholstered furniture; automotive, aviation, rail, off-road, industrial and marine vehicles; as well as solid fuel, propane and natural gas appliances, equipment, regulators, valves, and fuel gas systems (both portable and fixed). He has investigated a wide range of fire and explosion safety problems and worked to develop solutions to the problems encountered.

Mr. Long has provided testimony as an expert witness in various state and federal courts regarding: fire protection system design and performance; root cause analysis of sprinkler and fire protection system failures; fire origin, cause and spread; welding and hot work operations; structure fires; vehicle and marine fires; building and fire codes and standards compliance; and flammability of consumer products and materials, amongst other topics.

Mr. Long has extensive fire, flammability, and thermal research and testing experience with numerous small, intermediate, and large-scale fire and flammability national and international testing protocols and methods, including those published by the ASTM, NFPA, CBHFTI, FM, UFAC, ISO, UL, and in the CFR. He has extensive experience conducting fire research and testing of Lithium ion cells and batteries used in consumer devices, energy storage systems, and electric drive vehicles. He has provided guidance to governmental, industry, and professional organizations on the hazards associated with and suppression strategies for lithium ion battery fires. He has also provided guidance on other alternative energy sources including hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cells.

Mr. Long actively participates in the development of fire protection standards through his participation, both past and present, on technical committees for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). He maintains his expertise by regularly attending conferences, seminars and continuing education training sponsored by professional and technical organizations including the NFPA, SFPE, IAAI, NAFI, AFSA, and NFSA among others.

Prior to joining Exponent, Mr. Long conducted fire research at the University of Maryland, Department of Fire Protection Engineering and was the lab manager responsible for the remodeling and construction of the fire research laboratories during his tenure. During his graduate research assistantship, he was responsible for the design, construction, and operation of the FIST apparatus to characterize the combustion of solid materials in normal and subsequently in reduced gravity environments. This work was funded by NASA.