Bio
Mr. Firor is a geoscientist with 6 years of experience specializing in environmental site assessments, remedial planning, and regulatory compliance reporting. He has conducted Phase I and II environmental site assessments (ESAs), prepared remedial work plans, and developed site characterization, due diligence, and compliance reports for sites throughout the United States. His expertise includes environmental field sampling across groundwater, surface water, sediment, wastewater, air, and soil, as well as focused soil investigations, remediation, aquifer testing, and oversight of third-party sampling activities. He is experienced in quality assurance, having performed field and desktop audits, drafted QA/QC documents, and prepared field sampling plans. He is proficient in managing, analyzing, and modeling environmental data using ArcGIS, Microsoft Office®, and specialized statistical and modeling programs provided by EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). He has applied these skills to environmental site conceptual modeling, database management, NPDES coordination, Pennsylvania Land Recycling and Cleanup Program (Act 2) projects, and federal Superfund support.
Relevant Experience
Project Management
NPDES and Groundwater Compliance Support, Pennsylvania — Performed NPDES surface water sampling and regulatory support at a global specialty metals manufacturer. In addition, coordinated and managed the facility’s groundwater monitoring program, including both sampling and reporting to PADEP.
PCB Pollution Minimization Compliance, Delaware — Provided consulting services for a municipal wastewater treatment plant related to its PCB Pollutant Minimization Plan. Project scope evolved around the collection of 24-hour composite sampling at multiple locations at the site, along with the sample collection of biosolids. In addition, trackback sampling was conducted throughout the city’s sewer system to characterize statistical trends in concentrations of PCBs.
Pennsylvania Act 2 Site Characterization and Closure, Philadelphia — Managed site characterization and investigation for a former industrial facility under Pennsylvania’s Act 2 program. The site, subdivided into five separate Act 2 areas, achieved closure and release of liability for four, with the fifth in the final stages. Contaminants included volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PAHs, and select metals, with remedies including soil removal, risk assessments, and in-place capping. Developed multiple site-specific models (Quick Domenico, BIOCHLOR, and Unsaturated Zone Migration models).
Pennsylvania Chapter 245 Tank Investigation, Pennsylvania — Conducted a tank release investigation following the reported discovery of a release during site construction activities at a global specialty metals manufacturer. The investigation was conducted in compliance with Pennsylvania’s Chapter 245 tank regulations.
Groundwater Compliance Regulatory Reporting, Chester County, Pennsylvania — Managed quarterly groundwater reporting for a municipal landfill in Chester County, including well network evaluation, sampling, trend analysis, and statistical reporting to PADEP. Conducted independent third-party audits of the landfill’s groundwater sampling program.
Soil Remediation, Western Pennsylvania — Managed aspects of the development and operations on a remediation litigation project at a shooting range in western Pennsylvania, which included the development of a remedial work plan, groundwater investigation plan, sediment evaluation plan, and remediation plan.
Site Investigation
Phase I ESAs, Multiple Sites, United States — Conducted Phase I ESAs across various residential, commercial, and industrial properties. Key activities included site walks, historical document reviews, identification of environmental hazards, and report preparation.
Pennsylvania Act 2 Focused Soil Investigation and Remediation, Pennsylvania — Coordinated a focused soil remediation project under the Pennsylvania Act 2 Voluntary Cleanup Program. Remediation involved removing arsenic- and mercury-impacted soils, securing Act 2 release of liability for the site.
Pennsylvania Act 2 Site Characterization, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Prepared a site-specific Act 2 Final Report that included modeling of soil contaminants using PADEP-provided models. Work supported regulatory compliance and demonstrated attainment of Act 2 cleanup standards.
Pennsylvania Act 2 Transformer Release, Philadelphia — Completed a 90-day release investigation and report under Pennsylvania’s Act 2 Program following the discovery of a buried transformer during site development. Following the submission of the report within the required timeframe, release of liability was granted.
New Jersey Site Remediation Program (SRP), Power Company, Multiple Sites in New Jersey — Prepared remedial investigation work plans and conducted remedial investigation activities at three sites enrolled in New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s SRP. Work included coordination of investigation tasks to meet program requirements and regulatory standards.
EPA TSCA Soil Remediation, Philadelphia — Led field operations for the investigation, removal, and proper disposal of PCB-impacted soil under TSCA regulations at a former industrial facility.
Onsite Characterization, Multiple Clients, Pennsylvania and New Jersey — Planned and executed low-flow groundwater, soil, and air monitoring to support site characterization and closure. Conducted grab and composite soil sampling for waste characterization and installed subslab and near-source vapor sampling points. Managed indoor air investigations for both residential and nonresidential properties.
Aquifer Testing and Analysis, Multiple Sites, Pennsylvania — Conducted advanced aquifer tests, including slug and pump tests, to assess aquifer characteristics in various locations across Pennsylvania.
Groundwater Investigation Program, Arkansas — Led a groundwater sampling event at a large chemical manufacturing facility, overseeing multiple field teams and sampling of both groundwater and extraction systems. Work required strict adherence to site-specific health and safety requirements.
PFAS/Emerging Contaminants
PFAS Phase II Site Assessment, Alabama — Coordinated a focused PFAS Phase II ESA on a site under consideration for purchase by a logistics company. Investigated potential PFAS contamination from historical firefighting foam use.
PFAS Phase II Site Assessment, Pennsylvania — Conducted Phase I and Phase II ESAs, including evaluating potential PFAS use and performing sampling and analysis to determine the presence of PFAS impacts on site conditions.
Emerging Contaminants Litigation Support, New Jersey — As part of a team supporting litigation on emerging contaminants, responsibilities included support on the preparation of expert reports through detailed review of historical documents and in-depth research across multiple technical and regulatory topics.
Surface Water Monitoring
Surface Water Sampling Program, Confidential Client, Pennsylvania — Managed a quarterly surface water sampling project involving the collection of more than 50 samples per event, along with stream flow and gauging data. Prepared quarterly reports compiling results to support modeling of stream contaminants and characteristics.
Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program, Multiple Clients, Pennsylvania — Performed 24-hour composite surface water sampling to support permits and pollution plans. Samples were collected and analyzed for ultra-trace PCB concentrations. The results were used to identify potential upstream historical releases.
Wastewater Trackback Study, Pennsylvania — Coordinated and conducted a contaminant trackback study for a multinational pharmaceutical manufacturer to identify trends and potential sources of wastewater contamination.
Data Quality Assurance
Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site, Montana — Performed technical desktop auditing of client consultants’ field sampling operations during soil and dust sampling throughout the city of Butte, Montana.
Data Management
Natural Gas Litigation Support, Western Pennsylvania — Managed a large-scale environmental database for a litigation project, consolidating decades of historical data from multiple consultants into a centralized system. Managed data integrity through quality reviews and assigned unique identifiers to each datapoint to ensure accurate tracking and usability.
Internal Database Management, United States — Managed the internal environmental data management system. This included data import, troubleshooting, and system maintenance. Responsibilities also included updating regulatory standards (New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia, EPA) to ensure compliance and data accuracy.
Education & Credentials
M.S., Earth and Environmental Science, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey, 2019
B.A., Environmental Science, McDaniel College, Westminster, Maryland, 2015
Continuing Education
OSHA 40-Hour HAZWOPER
First Aid/CPR/AED Certified