First of all, congratulations to my friends and colleagues John Lentini and Doug Carpenter.

Secondly, the full-scale fire research scenes in the program were from this past motnths's Advanced Fire Pattern Research Project (AFPRP) burns at Eastern Kentucky University, co-sponsored by NAFI and EKU, and held in conjunction with the 2007 NAFI/EKU/NFPA National Advanced Fire, Arson, and Explosion Training Program. This did not get much credit on CNN, but John arranged to send a CNN film crew up to EKU to get fire research background video.

I was not directly involved in this spring’s test fires so I feel that I can point this out to the forum without being too egocentric. Both John Lentini and Doug Carpenter’s firm have been involved as a participant and economic sponsor, respectively, in prior AFPRP burns.

I want to acknowledge some other individuals who appeared in the Anderson Cooper 360 presentation (without credits). Frequent forum participants, Ron Hopkins, CFEI and Greg Gorbett, CFEI; as well as fire investigation resreachers Bill Hicks, CFEI and Kathryn Kennedy, CFEI, all participated in the planning and preparation of the tests burns.

For more than thirty-years Professor Ron Hopkins has been one of the directing authorities of the AFPRP. Greg Gorbett, not only gave his time and expertise to the CNN producers, including modeling the tests fires. EKU Instructor Bill Hicks, as well as Ron, Greg, and Kathryn spend many long hard hours setting up the AFPRP burns. But most importantly, Kathryn Kennedy, as well as being a hard working and widely published fire researcher in her own right, has a very handsome and intelligent father.

The support, particularly the scientific research support, for the modernization of our profession does not happen in a vacuum. Many, as in this case unheralded, hard working experts, help produce the foundation upon which our laudable colleagues, John and Doug, support their important positions.

I am sure John and Doug will want to echo my praise for these unsung participants.
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On another note related to this case let me just add that Doug Fog is an unwarrantedly arrogant, ill-educated, inadequate, dinosaur. Assuming that one should only be allowed to be involved in the execution of one innocent person per lifetime, Mr. Fog has met his limit.

CNN quote from the “dinosaur,” Mr. Fog:
“In reality it is not new science, It’s just ah...ah...ah...people are probably using it more than what they did in the past.” True, but not for him – he has never used it. Doug Fog is the poster boy for “fatal dinosaur idiocy.” How would you like your very existence to be determined by this genius?

Pat Kennedy, CFEI, CFPS, MIFireE
Fire and Explosion Analyst
Sarasota, Florida
[www.kennedy-fire.com]