Rawlins Fire DepartmentArson Dog Team |
The Rawlins Fire Department participates in the certified arson dog program. This team is sponsored by State Farm Insurance®.
Our department currently has the only arson dog in the state of Wyoming. Our team report to suspected arsons in the state
of
Wyoming as well as any surrounding states if requested. They follow an intnse dialy training routine to keep their skill honed
so they are ready to respond at any moment.
An Accerlerant Detecting Canine is a dog trained to find flammable liquides often used in arson.
The bread most selected for use as a flammable liquid-sniffing canine (K-9) is the Labrador Retriever because of a scenting
capability acquired over many generations. A "positive response" (one in which th dog detects a flammable liquid) is called
an "alert." There are two types of alert dogs: passive and agrssive.
Sasha is a "passive alert" canine, trained by using Provalone techniques. The benefit to this type of alert dog is that Sasha sits
and indicates with her nose th exact location of the flammable liquid, thus leaving the evidence undisturbed. This aids in the
evidence collection integrity.
A canine is not meant to replace fire investiators. The dog is a tool that provides unique and invaluable assistance to
investigators searching fr the cause at the fire scene.
- Canines can detect flammable liquids with greater sensitivity than current flammable liquid detecting devices
(hydrocarbon detectors)
- Canines can differentiate betwen actual flammable liquids and similar chemical gasses normally present at a fire scene
- Canines can significantl shorten the amount of time an investigator wll spend digging through debris looking for flammable
liquid patterns
-Caninies can reduce the number of samples taken at a fire scene that need to be analyzed by the lab. The canine will "alert"
only on the flammable liquid.
- Provides a powerful tool to investigators investigating arson crimes.
- Saves taxpayers money by reducing the costs of investigating arson by lessening the hours spent on fire scenes.
- Saves on laboratory costs by increasing the accuracy of lab samples and reducing the amount of samples needed.
- Provides a strong visible deterrent in the communty to the would-be arsonist.
- Female Black Labrador Retriever
- Born in Michigan on June 5, 2007
- Keen sense of smell can detect accelerant odor in amounts smaller the parts-per-million
- Gentle, friendly and loves kids
- Lives at home with her handler
- An Arson K-9 and full-time member of the Rawlins Fire Department-Certified by the Maine State Police on May 9, 2008
- Full-time fire shift captain and training coordinator for the Rawlins Fire Department
- Has served in a fire servce capacity since 1992
- Wyoming Certified Fire Officer III
- Fire Apparatus Operator
- Hazardous Materials Incident Commander and Hazardous Materials Technician
- Full-time Arson K-9 handler
- Certified by the Maine State Police on May 9, 2008
- More than 30,500 intentionally set structure fires occured in 2009
- more than 315 civilian deaths due to intentionally set structure fires
- Estimated $866 million in property loss due to intentionally set structure fires
- Estimated 17,500 intentionally set vehicles fires
- Estimated $139 million in property loss
- In 2008, there were 3,209 fires in Wyoming
Contact Rawlins Fire Captain John Rutherford at (307) 328-3596 or e-mail him at JRR@firehousemail.com
Contact the Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention & Electrical Safty at (307) 777- 7288
Contact Rawlins Fire Captain John Rutherford at (307) 328-3596 or e-mail him at JRR@firehousemail.com
K-9 Sasha was acquired through a scholership sponsored by State Farm Insurance®. Since 1993, State Farm has paid for
training for more than 200 teams in 41 states, three Canadian provinces and the District of Columbia.
For more information on the Arson Dog Program visit http://www.arsondog.org and http://www.statefarm.com/commun/arsondog.htm |
