Most do not know the intricacies and rigors of training to be a fire investigator. These investigators (K9 and human) in a way are another group of our silent professionals who keep us safe by helping to identify problems with vehicles, consumer products, or how the fire happened. They also specialize in catching the people who are doing bad things with fire.
With Arson Dogs, this is taken to a new level. The dedication of the K9 Arson investigators to take on the responsibility of the K9 team member is one that is hardly explained.
Once that K9 team is paired, their life becomes inseparable for years. Until the K9 retires, the regiment of food, play, work, learning and life must be consistent for maintaining the team and the consistency of the results they deliver. This is a requirement for the tests that are applied to them when testifying at trial.
This is also true for the handlers family as this consistency must be maintained for days off, vacations, holidays and more.
The K9 working fire investigations and Arson cases have helped to catch criminals that otherwise might have gotten away. We need these valuable resources and have to help promote keeping them in service. If you have not had the pleasure of working with such a team, I would encourage you to become acquainted with your nearest team.
Typically, an agency that has this team frequently is asked by surrounding jurisdictions, state and federal agencies to assist (since there are not many available).
Please help spread the word, donate or just help to bring awareness on how important it is to have a resource like this in your region.
It may seem far fetched to think that communities can save money with a K9 team, but it’s true. Front loading this capability can prevent criminal intent and insurance fraud and fraudulent claims by offenders.
We need to do better on these investments. It is the unseen rewards that are sometimes hard for people to quantify, that really make a difference.
Thank you Jason Andersen, IAAI-CFI (And Kiki too!!), for your dedication and assistance over the years to SCAPPOOSE RURAL FIRE DISTRICT and the region.
Thank you to Portland Fire & Rescue for sponsoring this amazing team, thank you to the entire Fire investigation team at PFB (and all fire investigators around the country and world) for all the thankless work you do.
Denver's Channel 9 News will be airing a story this morning on International Fire Dogs! Here is the direct link to the article: https://lnkd.in/esjdpjwe