Lou Bilancia

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT LOU BILANCIA

As an electrical and electronic forensic and consulting engineer, I provide:(1) root-cause failure analysis(2) fire investigation, and (3) expert witness testimony for the insurance industry and legal industries. Fourteen years of biomedical design experience with implanted pacemakers and defibrillators, 10 years of forensic engineering and failure analysis, plus 11 years in the design and programming of industrial laser control, lumber sorting, and precision instrumentation. Since 2001, I have focused on forensic engineering and have participated in over 300 fire investigations and other loss investigations where electrical activity was involved as a possible or actual cause. My biomedical experience aided in the investigation of several electrical injury cases and my microelectronics experience has aided in the investigation of appliances and home electronics suspected of causing fires.I developed and trademarked the Ignition Matrix, a method of organizing and then evaluating large numbers of fire cause hypotheses. It relies on the first two sides of the fire triangle: each confluence of a competent fuel and a competent heat source creates a testable hypothesis.I have taught:(1) four terms as an adjunct professor at Portland State University,(2) several classes to the IAAI community (Connecticut, Tennesee, California, Washington, & Oregon IAAI Chapters, and(3) workshops on electrical evidence collection, electrical ignition of fires, and the scientific method at the 2009 International IAAI Conference in Texas.Specialties: Professional Engineer & Expert Witness; root-cause failure analysis; fire investigation and arc-fault mapping; ISO & IEC risk management gap analysis.