![]() ![]() Everyone loved the black and white spotted dog who was a fixture at the firehouse and rider on every call.įor 15 years, Twenty shared her life with the FDNY crew. She enjoyed barking as they embarked on a call. Soon, Twenty became a local celebrity. The happy spotted dog liked to sit sidekick in the engine with her head poking out the window. Twenty was a sweet, calm dog whose very presence was a morale booster. She quickly cheered the crew up and gave them something to smile about. However, from the minute that Twenty walked into the firehouse, everything started to change. When Twenty entered the firehouse all members of the crew were still grieving the significant losses sustained that fateful day. She was quickly given the moniker ‘Twenty’.ĭuring the tragedy of September 9, 2001, the Ladder 20 company lost nine fellow firefighters on the 35th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. As a young female Dalmatian pup, she was a gift that was bestowed on the fireman of the New York City Fire Department’s Ladder 20 by two Rochester sheriffs in an effort to restore morale to the devastated crew. So the dogs can search with a lot more accuracy and a lot faster than we ever could."Īnd events like the one held Friday will hopefully push those numbers even higher.Perhaps no story greater displays the bond between a firehouse dog and the crew of fireman who shared their lives with the special canine then the story of the petite Dalmatian named Twenty. "Now, with the use of the K-9s, that rate has gone up to between 80% and 90%. "The recovery rate for people was around 30%," he said. He said that before dogs were used to help detect arson people would be forced to crawl around fire scenes trying to sniff out strange odors. ![]() ![]() He got his first accelerant-detection dogs as a member of the Harrisburg Police Department in 1995. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - is used frequently by the department to rule out foul play in situations where it would be extremely difficult for people to search through the charred remains of structures.ĭennis Woodring, who is now chairman of the ignitable liquid detection K-9 program for the Pennsylvania Association of Arson Investigators, was among the first 50 people in the country to handle one of these specially trained dogs. He said Gracie - acquired through a grant from the U.S. Zulick said Gracie has been very successful during her five years with the department, stressing that training is the reason why she is so good at her job. "It also provides us handlers an opportunity to talk to each other and exchange our experiences." "All this training is good because I have no idea where anything is, so this is a pure test of her abilities," he said. Dogs were asked to sift through charred couches, chairs, tables, mattresses and even food items. In this case, the handlers are completely relying on the dogs just as if they were on the scene of an actual fire.Īnd making the training even more realistic, it included a mock home. He explained that while handlers train their dogs every day, they are the ones setting up the exercise so they know where the accelerants are hidden. Roger Spadt, chairman of the training and education committee for the statewide association, said these kinds of exercises are extremely beneficial for the dogs and their handlers. The exercise is designed to help dogs like Gracie sharpen their skills and pinpoint their weaknesses. The second annual training session was organized by the Pennsylvania Association of Arson Investigators and held at the Restoration Technical Institute, which is owned and operated by Berks Fire Water Restorations Inc. The K-9s, hailing from as far away as Allegheny County, were all dogs that assist in fire investigations. ![]() Gracie was one of five dogs, along with their handlers, taking part in a special training session in Reading on Friday. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |