Thomas William Bender

Thomas started his career in the fire industry in 1999 after obtaining an AAS degree in Fire Protection Technology from Guilford Tech, and a BS degree in Engineering Technology Fire Protection and Safety Technology from Oklahoma State University. Thomas started as a fire system designer at Simplex/Grinnell in Atlanta, GA, then was recruited by the Georgia State Fire Marshal’s office after two years to become a Fire Safety Engineer to review fire systems for all occupancies, and life safety code review for daycare facilities and hospitals across the state. During the time he was in Georgia, he was active with Salem Fire & Rescue as a volunteer firefighter, serving as Firefighter and assistant to the County Fire Masters.

In 2003, Thomas made a lateral move into the field of fire investigation when hired by Rimkus Consulting Group working from the Houston, TX corporate headquarters as a Project Fire Consultant. Thomas became certified to conduct fire origin and cause determinations as an outside contractor for the insurance industry and for product litigation. He performed hundreds of fire and explosion origin and cause investigations in structures, including industrial, commercial, and residential occupancies, vehicles and heavy equipment and marine vessels. Working with electrical engineers, he assisted investigating fire originating from appliances and other electrical devices and arson investigations. He evaluated fire protection systems in structures and vehicles for code compliance. He evaluated life safety concerns in various occupancies, including outpatient surgical centers for the Joint Commission inspection. Thomas assisted in the coordination and oversight of full scale fire test burns with structures and vehicles used within litigation. Mr. Bender maintained chain of custody paperwork for evidence that was identified, collected, and properly stored from fire scenes for use in insurance and legal cases. Thomas also gave expert witness testimony in depositions and courtrooms on behalf of plaintiff and defense counsel.

During the economic recession of 2008 to 2009, Thomas assisted family friends in Oklahoma to establish a 98-acre ranch as a Residential Project Manager. He oversaw the development of residential design of multiple single-family residences, both in the re-modeling phase and the new buildout of shell construction to single-family home. He coordinated the design with the site owners, ordered the materials and maintained the construction inventory. Building construction included structure, roofing, siding, insulation, plumbing, flooring, and electrical practices.

From 2010 to 2018, Thomas was hired by Gator Fire Equipment and worked his way through each department as needed to further the company. Initial hired as a fire system estimator and was made Service Manager/Advisor, Pre-Engineered System Designer, Safety Manager, then to Designer and Design Manager. Project development in relation to water-based fire systems spanned from single-family fire systems to multi-story residential apartment and hotels, large commercial buildings, mercantile occupancies, and university facilities. In 2018, Thomas joined another fire sprinkler contractor, WW Gay Fire Protection, which became Sciense Building Solutions, and continued within the design field. WW Gay Fire concentrates on large scale projects, both commercial and industrial fire protection. System designs included water-based wet, dry, deluge and pre-action fire systems with fire pumps and water storage systems. Occupancies include paper mills, lumber mills, weapons manufacturing, biological agent clean rooms, nuclear missile radiological facility, and special hazards protection.

With Thomas’ education and industry experience, he is able to quickly problem solve fire suppression systems, whether it be in design or system evaluation. He is currently a NICET III in water-based design, and studying for NICET IV and to take the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam. Recently he was a Florida fire protection contractor, and will be transferring that license to Vertex Engineering.

Education & Certification

A.S., Fire Protection Technology, Guilford Technical Community College
Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology, Fire Protection and Safety Technology, Oklahoma Sate University

Certified Fire Protection Specialist (NFPA- CFPS)
NICET III
OSHA 30
CPR/AED & First Aid (Adult, Child & Infant, Pediatric)

NFPA Certified Fire Protection Specialist #1505
BSA Lifeguard

Associations

National Fire Protection Association Member
National Fire Sprinkler Association Member
Florida Fire Sprinkler Association Member