Who’s In Charge?

Well last night was the end of the sixteen hour Haz-Mat 1st Responder Operations class that I took which is put on by the NY State of Fire Prevention and Control. Over all, it was a very good class and I walk away with knowledge to better perform on an emergency scene if called upon to do so. Any class taken where you have a few more tools added into your tool bag or sharpen is a good class. Such was the results of this past class. I’ve taken Haz-Mat classes before and even though the basic information is always for the most part the same it becomes clearer how very important the knowledge gain or reviewed can help when it’s time.

On any emergency response we all know that there’s one and only one “On Scene Commander.” This is what we’ve learn in all those ICS classes. Yes, we have our sector commanders that report to “Command,” and there can be a transfer of “Command.” You know the drill and anyone that has been in this fire protection/EMS game knows how it all transpires. Its a simple process when all are on the same page. Nothing new, at least you would think till presented something…well; it’s not new but a different take on it. There was a video shown at last night’s class, covering “The Many Hats” that gave me a new prospective on ICS. Now the short YouTube video is but a preview to the longer version the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) entitled "The Hats of Incident Management" you can download off the VDOT’s site at … http://virginiadot.org/info/incidentmanagement.asp

Here’s the short 10 minute YouTube excerpt …



The different outlooks shown in this short video are interesting and give a better prospective of different “I’m In Charge” persons we sometimes encounter. The reality of it is, everyone has there individual responsibilities and want to help as best they can. Get the job at hand done and as best you can. ICS structure at its simplest is a set-up that enables the response to expand & contract as needed by the scope of the incident, resources and hazards. In most local responses, looking at the big picture is as easy as a “KISS” (Keep It Simple Stupid). I think looking at different scenarios or in the case of the YouTube what may show up on an emergency scene give us a bases on trying better to work in the right direction of a successful emergency response.

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)

The Suits We Wear!

All the outfits we get to wear as Emergency Responders! There’s the structural bunker gear for the fire fighter guys, BSI gear for the EMS people, Haz-Mat has the level A,B,C,D suits and those ARFF people with their silver proximity suits. They say the ARFF “bake potato” bunker gear can handle up to 2000 degrees of heat. Wait doesn’t steel melt at that 2000 °F.? Oh wait, that’s radiant heat, like that makes a difference. If you’re in a fire where it’s 2000 degrees anything you might want to re-think where you should be at. lol I wore the ARFF silver proximity bunker gear for a number of years in the USAF, but never came across any 2000 degree fires thankfully, though I do know first hand they protected me from that ambient heat of up to ~ 500 °F .

Anyways, the little bother outfit for Emergency Responders that’s used and often over looked on a emergency scene of a MVA is the neon safety vests that keeps fire fighters and EMS personnel safe on roadways & highways.



Federal regulation states that high-visibility safety vests will be worn by all who are doing work on federally funded roadways & highways. Be it construction or emergency services work a high-visibility safety vests will be worn. I would think also that there’s some sort of local law somewhere on the books for the same. Federal mandate applies to police, fire & EMS crews that respond to MVAs or other incidents. Road crews, tow truck drivers and even members of the news media need to wear these safety vests while on the roadways & highways.

Would seem like a no brainer to wear them when you’re shown what the visibility factor is at night without one…



These safety vests are as visible during the day too. Granted you can’t have these high-visibility safety vests on over bunker gear if you’re fighting a vehicle fire. They’ll melt, their made out of plastic. Besides, if there is fire, traffic comes to a halt till the fires out (in most cases). The Fire Police always have you back.
Fire fighter bunkers do have reflective neon stripping on them, but once the fire is out and mop-up begins those safety vests need to be worn. Wear that safety vest to let all who are on the road know that you are there!

With more and more traffic on the roadways & highways these days, safety becomes even more paramount. There are still and will be in the future accidental deaths no matter what the Emergency Responders is wearing. The Emergency Responders needs to always be aware of “Your Own 360,” that is know what is going on all around you at all time on the emergence, especially on those high speed highways. Continuously do “Your Own 360” scene safety while performing, because being safe is just plan good, common sense.
I’ll be looking at those new neon vests at my local volunteer fire department a lot different now, knowing that they’ll help me survive on our roadways & highways.
(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)

A Fire Fighters Best Friend: The SCBA

The Self Contain Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) has for the most part gone through a lot of changes both equipment wise and outlook wise in its uses. Every one of which makes the air pack a better, very valuable, and integrate part of the fire fighter’s PPE set. I can remember joining the local volunteer fire department, as a Junior Fireman way back when, that there was this unofficial F.O.S.E. group within many of the local fire departments at the time. F.O.S.E. stands for “Fraternal Order of Smoke Eaters” and basically what it was, if you wore a SCBA back then you were looked on by a F.O.S.E. fireman as being a wimp of a fireman. They use to call us fireman back then now we’re fire fighters. Well all in the fire service now have an idea where the F.O.S.E. outlook went, right in the trash bucket.

To wear or not to wear, is not an option anymore. If you have the equipment and are train to use it then you use it. Period! The fire ground for fire fighters has become even more dangerous as if it wasn’t that way to begin with. The dynamics to how people live in their own homes and how businesses work with the ever growing increase of different more hazardous combinations that can present a situation of deciding either saving live or saving property. Of course it’ll always going to be the life first. Fire fighters will always take chances, but it’s a measurement if the overriding benefit can be gained. This measurement should NOT be taken at the expense of the fire fighter, though the fire fighter would probably say differently in some cases.

Three basic SCBA Rules a fire fighter or anyone that wears the air pack should apply are:

Rule One: If you’ve got it wear it!

Rule Two: Know the limitations of it!

Rule Three: train, Train, TRAIN with it!

Training with the SCBA should be done monthly, if not on a quarterly basis. Become familiar with the air pack and make sure your partner is up to speed also. Don’t become over complacent to say you know all there is to know about the equipment and its uses to put off training. If I catch myself saying this then I’m looking for the nearest SCBA pack and having a refresher class. Though it may sound or be redundant when you are doing the training it has to become second nature when SCBA is being utilized in the real deal on the emergency scene.

Self Contained Breathing Apparatus, the SCBA, offers the best respiratory protection when working in environments where there is an oxygen-deficiency, the concentration of air contaminants is unknown or in immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). Train with the SCBA should have the “show me” hands on approach by all who use this indispensable piece of fire fighter equipment.

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)

BioDiesel, Make With Caution Please ...

We’ve all see it in the news and the tread has taken off in a big way after last years record high gas prices, and why not make it, especially if there’s a big savings in the process. The making of biodiesel fuels has become more common place to where it’s not just out on the farm where this alternative fuel source is being made; it could and has been made in the home. Hopefully it’s out in the garage? There are no real restrictions in making biodiesel for the most part other then maybe the quantity.

“You won’t find a rule anywhere that says you can’t cook biodiesel in your garage,” said Bob Benedetti who works for the National Fire Protection Association in Quincy, Mass as a flammable liquids engineer.

To some it could be a fun hobby, just like making your own beer, or me with this blog page. Making your own beer … hmmm … I think that’s how Samuel Adams Beer got its start.

Now making biodiesel is a process of mixing several different items. Basically, it’s bringing together cooking oil with methanol or wood alcohol of some sort, cooking it to 120 degrees to make the biodiesel. At any rate with the methanol being highly flammable along with the frying oil possible catching fire if it comes in contact with an ignition source in the cooking process especially if the oil gets to hot, fire safety is paramount. Keeping it simple though, when ever you mix any combination of chemicals together there’s always a probability of something happening. That’s just basic Haz-Mat 101. Here’ a good YouTube video on Biodiesel Safety:



There could be stockpiled items such as tanks & barrels of materials at a home garage or out on a farm. Storage of biodiesel on a farm could range anywhere from 200-300 gallons in plastic containers if not more. Fire fighters need to be aware of this potentially hazardous material when responding to a fire call that a heavy column of dark black smoke is coming from a home residence in the community or reported barn fire. Once large quantities of biodiesel get burning there’s going to be one very hot fire and will make for a bad day.

Biodiesel refiners/operations in the home or on the farm are common place now. With more and more how-to-make instructions on the internet, kits that are on sale to help make biodiesel at home, even already made biodiesel producing units for sale… this is something a fire fighter needs to be aware of and even fire departments maybe doing pre-fire planning on locations of biodiesels within their prospective fire districts. Nothing wrong with making cheaper fuel as long as the process is done safely.

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner. )

So What Exactly is a Blog?

Well, it's been a interesting first week of blogging for someone who hasn't done it before. That someone being me in this case. lol I've had some interesting & good comments thus far, and the feedback is all taken in very constructively. I like to say thank-you all for them.

Still early in the blogging game to say how long I'll stick with it? Seeing I got a week under my belt I think I'm in the blogging game for awhile. There are alot of interesting things that can be done on a blog compared to having a regular web site page that just sits there after an update becomes old after a few visits. A good blog is something that has content on a daily basis. Since starting my blog I've looked forward to seeing what I can write up for the day. There were a few days there, and hopefully just as many in the future, I found I had two or three articles/things to write about. Having more to write about can only be a good thing.

I've visited a few other blogs, and believe me in saying there's alot of them. Some were interesting and some were what the **** is this person talking about. It really is a different type of reading then the regular read of a newspaper or book. There's a blog about everything and it's one of the many things that makes this internet so interesting. So many different views and options to learn from. If some are still not sure what a blog is, and I'm one still though I have a better idea, here's a real good YouTube that explains it all:

My blogging if anything is a good platform to share an interest that I have and always will. The Fire Protection & Fire Prevention field has been a good part of my live thus far, that has taught me many new & interesting things and bogging about it enables me to re-visit ideas of the past. To be able to place these ideas in a different format as I am now makes it even more interesting. Like I’ve said in an earlier blog entry, I’m making my footprint on the internet. Maybe you should too? Try it! Believe me when I say, if I can do this then anyone can. If you do start a blog, make a comment here or send me an email of the web address to your blog. My email address is on the profile-page, the "clicky" to it is next to my pic, in upper right of page here. If you send me the web address to your blog, I will visit it.

Again, thank-you to those who have visited and hopefully you’ll continue to do so. Welcome to first time readers/views. See ya all on the Blog. : )

Fire Safety: It begins with Spring cleaning

With the arrival of Spring, begins the annual Spring cleaning for us all, that's done in our homes and at work. This is also a time to clear out items that have accumulated which may become a potential fire hazard.

A fire hazard is any material, condition or act that will contribute to the start-up, or increase the extent of a fire.

Trash, old boxes, piles of rags, and other combustibles can provide fuel for a fire. Spontaneous combustion will self-ignite these materials in time if not properly disposed of. Removing items no longer needed, greatly helps in reducing the chance of a fire starting.

Some problem areas to key in on during Spring clean-up, and on a regular basis are:

- keeping storage locations, garages, attics, basements, and closets tidy;

- make sure grass and weed control is being done;

- removing dust and lint from areas of accumulation, such as around water-heaters, furnaces, and in those sometimes forgotten corners:

- and removing old paint, cleaning solvents, furniture polishes, waxes, etc., that are not being used anymore. These need to be thrown away or properly stored.

Good housekeeping, along with good fire prevention practices year-round is everyones' responsibility. This is important because the fire prevention program is only as good as you make it! The local fire departments may be able to extinguish a fire once it's detected, but in most cases you can prevent a fire from occurring. You can simply remove the cause of a fire before it happens. A clean area, plus the care of ensuring it stays that way, equals a lesser chance of a fire starting.

All local fire deparments should promote this fire prevention practice to help the community in preventing a fire from starting. People living in the community that have questions concerning fire prevention in the should contact their local fire departments.

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner. This article on Fire Safty, is one I wrote as a USAF Fire Inspector in May 1988.)

How Do You Know...

How do you know someone or even mention something about a person that you never met, especially if it’s at a service in their memory after they have past?

I have been asked to say The Fireman's Prayer tonight for a past Fire Chief and Life member of the fire company I belong to, and to which I'm also the Fire Chaplin. Now, I have to say, though I am a person of faith I'm not a regular church goer. Haven been elected to the position of Fire Chaplin, my duties for the most part are to read a prayer before the monthly company meeting. I also did an open invocation at our past fire department banquet. Nothing beyond my capability of doing. To do the reading of The Fireman's Prayer is something new to me, but part of the duties of a Fire Chaplin. For the reading tonight, it's going to be a humble experence and very high honor to do so for a fellow Brother Fire Fighter.

It's said, "All men are created equal, and then a few became firemen. ~Author Unknown."

Well this past Fire Chief, Life Member, Veteran of WWII, part of that "Great Generation," and Community Servant was a Fire Fighter. To know that I know he was a caring man.

I never knew this past Fire Chief, Life Member before I joined the fire department I belong to now. But I think he was a loving man because I know his son & daughter in-law who are my neighbors.

I never met this Fire Fighter who has past, never spoke to him, and never had the honor of shaking his hand, but...

If I knew nothing else of him, I would have to say that the mark that this Fire Fighter left behind through his Family & Community I indeed knew him...

This Fire Fighter was a Caring and Loving Man.

It's an Honor to have known you sir.

Haz-Mat Class

Last night was my second class session attending the Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations conducted by the NYS Office of Fire Prevention & Control with the final two sessions to take place next week. It's a 16 hour class and as anyone that knows anything about Haz-Mat, that amount training time is just one block of many to know about how things work. There's another Haz-Mat class starting tonight at one of the local fire departments, which is a good thing because the more fire fights that take these classes the more aware they are of the “Mr. Yuk” .

The training is good and informative and even though I've taken many of these classes in the past, I always like attending them because it keeps me up-to-date for one as well as knowing what are the latest and greatest prospective from others who attend & from the instructor.

One of the areas covered and what has become a very common book that is on every emergency rig and control center is the 2008 Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG). A great little book that contains a wealth of information for the emergency responder to immediately reference to on the emergency scene. For Haz-Mat this book is a starting point to be used prior to entering the "Hot Zone." Here's a short video about it...




The 2008 ERG is one of my favorite publications because it quickly and efficiently breaks it all down to get a Haz-Mat operation going at the start. With the internet, there's a .pdf copy of it online too at the US Dept Transportation-PHMSA. Click on: 2008 Emergency Response Guidebook and it'll show you an on-line version if you don't have a hard copy. Fire departments could make it a drill night to go over and review this very important Orange Book.

I make it a point to know where these books are located at be it at my local fire department or where I work at. The best part of the class is all students were give a FREE copy to have for their own. I thought that was pretty cool even though the 2008 ERG is a FREE publication. I just think it's neat getting something for FREE and it's a very valuable item that could save a live.

The Stand-By...

As indicated in the previous blog post, where I work there’s a fire protection requirement both Fire Brigade and ARFF wise. The ARFF stands for “Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting” if your not familiar with the acronym. I had the honor to spent a stretch in the USAF as an ARFF Fire Fighter and greatly enjoyed doing the job of serving. To have a 2nd opportunity to be able to do this type of fire fighting in the civilian sector doesn’t come around very often. When it does it’s pretty neat. Very neat!

Yesterday, I was on an ARFF Stand-by for an aircraft at work. I missed blogging about it due to my extra activities after work. A basketball game that I thought was schedule but wasn’t and a Haz-Mat first responder class after that which started last night. It was pretty much a full evening with no desire to sit down typing at a PC to blog when sleep at 1130 pm looks so much better. Sleep needed is always the winner. Besides I took today off, sleep in, got that 1st cup of coffee, and now catching up doing the blog thing before working on that bathroom floor. Oh goodie, start to work on the bathroom floor is a good reason for the day off…oh what a joy that’s going to be today, me as Mr Carpenter. lol

As always though, getting back on subject … on any Aircraft Stand-By I give my full attention to what is going on with the aircraft, air crew, and ground crew around on the flight line. That is the job of The Stand-By, “Eyes on the Aircraft.” To give anything less then your full attention gives a sense of not seeing the importance of the detail at hand. Why even be on The Stand-By crew in the first place if you don’t give your full attention? To be at a ready state on a Stand-By on a flight line is an important discipline and at times has a “wow factor” but the importance of the job at hand should take precedence.

On this Stand-By it was longer then usual, with adjustments being made, and what some would say some what routine. Then I got thinking and thought how can The Standing-By on an aircraft that has thousands of parts moving every direction be routine? It’s far from being routine. The air crew going through there checklist being supported by the ground crews and me along with my other team members in place Standing-By if the proverbial stuff hits the fan. There’s a lot going on when you start looking at it and breaking it down into it's parts. Looking at these parts make you better understand the whole flight operation with everyone doing their part and to better understand The Stand-By.

There’s another saying I like to mention that really applies to the fire protection field as a whole on the operations side, and that is…

“A battlefield does not give an opportunity for study, one does what he can to apply what he already knows, therefore, it is necessary that he know thoroughly and be able to use his knowledge quickly.”

Any potential fire ground can be a fire fighter’s “battlefield” very quickly at any time. So when I think of that during this Stand-By as well as any Stand-By, I’m watching the actions of the air crews on the aircraft go through their checklists, through their flight deck windows. I’m watching the ground crews actions go through their steps that are required to be done. Any actions that are outside what is the so called norm, alerts me to go into action. If told before hand by the air crew or ground crew that maybe you’ll see more smoke then usual on start up I won’t over act but remain in my ready state, continuing The Stand-By, watching & observering, ready to act if needed. The key is not to over react, but be ready if you have to act you can do so immediately without delay.

I spent many an hour on The Stand-By while in the USAF and to be able to do it again is only to continue to sharpen the ARFF skill set that makes me a better fire fighter overall. Well, its back to that bathroom floor project. lol

Over The Shoulder or Under The Arm?

Last week, where I work, which has a fire protection requirement both Fire Brigade and ARFF wise, some of my co-workers did their annual live fire training. I get to do mine in the fall and I’m looking forward to it. Just like any actual hands on fire training that may occur, at any fire department these days, there’s always someone with a camera taking that memorable snap-shot, be it still digital photos or steaming video. For this particular training, for my co-workers, it was still digital photos. Photos and video from any training session is a great learning tool because it captures a moment that we can look back on that makes us do our job as a fire fighter better after reviewing them. Plus it’s pretty cool to see who looks the best in their fire gear. Yeah, right, we fire fighters are all about fashion. lol

After taking a look at photos taken of my co-worker’s live fire training drill, I begun to notice something that seemed different. Most had their advancing fire attack hose lines position on the shoulder when attacking the fire. Is this a wrong practice? Was someone trained wrong? No, not really, as long as a the fire fighter working the nozzle has a good handle on the hose line for control, the back-up fire fighter is assiting not hindering and is on the same side of the hose line as the nozzleman for teamwork that is needed when advancing the hose line the over the shoulder way can be used. For me it just looked completely different then what I’m use to seeing on the fire ground. Over all the years I’ve been doing the fire fighting gig, I’ve always had the attack hose line when fighting fire under the arm with nozzle in front of me for control and I would say it's the most common way used at most fire departments. This was the way I was trained.

I asked my co-works for their input and outlook as to why they used the over the shoulder with the attack hose line? Cross feeds are always a good thing to do, it makes us all better learners. All who used the fire hose in the over the shoulder manner said that 1) It was the way they were trained, 2) they had better control of the hose line, 3) it was more comfortable and, 4) given the set up of where the fire was located, it helped position the hose & nozzle for fire extinguishment. For this live fire drill it accomplished the goal of putting the fire out. Looked from the pictures too, all had a good and fun time.

For me I prefer, using the fire attack hose line under the arm with the nozzle in front when advancing & fighting fire, plus I have a better handle as well as control of the fire hose itself when using it this way. It’s the way I was trained and it works best for me. Not to say I won’t use the over the shoulder way if the situation dictated it. If that’s what is needed I would. The objective overall is to get the wet stuff on the red stuff.

Here’s a few web links to a some very good articles on advancing fire attack hose lines. I think, that after reading them, it’ll give addition information to the fire fighter, and keep one proficient on advancing that line…

http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-attack/articles/409511-Fire-Attack-Advancing-Hose-Lines/

http://www.firefightingincanada.com/content/view/3212/192/

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner. I will not post any pictures that may violate any rules, polices or regulation. Pictures that I do post are free and off the internet to show an example of what I’m trying to express.)

The Basics on Donning Fire Fighter PPE

A fire fighter’s personal protective equipment, the PPE, when putting the bunker gear on, sometimes if not most of the time, is an after thought of importance and looked as being a basic fire fighting skill that’s a automatic when in a response or drill mode. I came across a phase know as “being brilliant in the basics” and since coming across this phase I now apply it to how I look at and do things within the fire protection and fire prevention fields. If you are good in the basics then you should have no problem handling the job at hand when on the fire ground. There are a lot of “basics” in fire fighting and the fire fighter’s PPE is just one of many.

The PPE “basics” are those steps that place the fire fighter into the PPE properly, quickly, as well as correctly. Donning the PPE should and needs to be practice periodically to be proficient where this basic of fire fighting equipment is on the fire fighter and protects because that its purpose. There are no short cuts, all parts of the turnout gear need to be worn. Having gloves in the bunker coat pocket while working on the fire ground doesn’t mean you are wearing them. Being a Safety Office or a Chief Office on the fire ground is not an excuse for not wearing the PPE. Believe me I’ve heard and seen these examples in my fire fighting career. They don’t wash. All PPE is to be worn by the fire fighter while on the fire ground and if not then that fire fighter should not be on the fire ground.

The helmet protects the head from impacts, and there maybe a shield attached that protects the eyes from flying objects and dust. The nomex hood protects the fire fighter’s face, ears, and neck not covered by the helmet or bunker coat. The bunker coat & bunker pants (turnout gear) protects one’s trunk & limbs from cuts, abrasions, and burns injuries (resulting from radiant heat), and very limited protection from corrosive liquids. Then there’s the gloves…are they on your hands (?)…which protects the hands from cuts, wounds and injuries.

Ensure all overlaps for your PPE are correct so when you add to your PPE ensemble by wearing the SCBA, for working in hazardous environments such as interior fire fighting or at the crash scene as an ARFF Fire fighter, the bunker clothing does not bunch up on you. When wearing the SCBA this places you in a advance wear of PPE now, so lets make sure to follow the “basics” on how it’s worn with bunker gear. Don’t forget to wear those gloved too.

There you have it, you can’t get more “basic” then that. If you wear & use your PPE correctly, then it will provide protection. Oh, it’s always a good idea to inspect after each use and wear of your PPE, to make sure it’s in good condition and is serviceabile. At the very least, bunker gear should be checked and inspected monthly. Doing the occasional “Bunker Drill” in your department every three months helps keep up proficiency. Who’s the fastest in your fire department to get their PPE on?

24 Hours Later…

Here it is a day later and do I feel any different starting a blog? Yeah, slightly but nothing earth shattering. It’s more like… here I’m doing something different on the internet then the regular NetSurfing. I even got the orange "B"logger icon showing in the web address field and on the bowser tab for TFPFP now. Cool!

As you can see, I’ve added some fire department links and I’m still feeling my way through the blogging process. Oddly enough the feeling is one of being on a little adventure that’s being built a little at a time.

Doing some reading up on the starting a blog, and believe me there’s a boat load of info and examples to choose from as well as refer to out there on the net. I’m one that likes to keep it simple or at least try to. The one blog I looked at and thought was put together rather nicely was the “Our Nichols Worth” that covers the goings on with the local Town & Village of Nichols governments. It’s very nice work Deb Stephens.

I’ve linked “Our Nichols Worth” here on “Tioga Fire Protection and Fire Prevention” along with the other county fire departments because they provide good information concern something that matters. I’m looking forward to finding other Tioga County web sites and local blogs as I continue on this small journey. I plan on having fun, now that I’ve started, because fun is where it’s at.

To Blog or Not to Blog?

Well, I guess the question has been answered because I'm a blogging now. : ) I did give it some thought if I should start a blog or, what are they doing now (?), something called Tweeter? Still have to check out Twitter, it's still new and always thought a "twitter" was a load speaker of sorts. lol I think I'll have my hands full with just the blog.

My idea for this Blogger spot is to have an area or platform to work from to place & share Fire Protection & Fire Prevention practices, thoughts, ideas, or just some general discussion on the subject. So I'm excited to have a spot on the internet to be able to do that.

Want to thank Google for providing this service. With the Google Search Engine, YouTube, and now Blogger I think Google ROCKS! Thanks again Google.