Many of the fires that we report on IFSEC Global usually end in one line: “The fire service is investigating the cause of the blaze.”
So what happens after the flames have died down and the fire crews have returned to base? Often, the search for the cause of a fire falls to specially trained “fire dogs” who are trained to sniff out accelerants such as petrol.
The London Fire Brigade have kindly shared some pictures of the dogs taken by their fire investigation unit, which were originally posted on their Facebook page.
Click on the image below to view the gallery.
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This is a great example of dogs in a work environment. It is really something that they can contribute to finding the cause of a fire!
@ Leora
I agree with you. It is really awesome that these dogs can help identify the cause of a fire.
Another example of under-appreciated heroes.
Dogs are truly man’s best friend. I’ve heard stories of how they’ve saved their owners, whether they were firemen, search and rescue, or someone with a disability.
I love dogs, so to see this gallery, it’s quite nice and touching. They’re definitely underappreciated in some placed, but I would hope that they are shown much love and care by their handlers and owners.
could not agree more, dog have great potential… and should be used in the fire safety/arson investigation… same way as already at the border security/police/army…
I miss my dog, she died of the old age 14 years old… few years ago… but I do hope the working dog in field of fire safety got treated with the love and respect…
Dogs are not only firefighters’ best friends; they are rightly called the man’s best friends. How often we see dogs assisting us humans carry out different useful jobs in our lives. What’s so exciting about dogs is that they can be trained as one would like them to be. They can be trained to do literally anything.
@ Leora Grace, It is very delightful to see dogs working by the side of humans in finding the real cause of fire, isn’t it? All of us have heard of and seen dogs used by detectives to sniff the footprints or some other identification smell of the culprits, this one of using dogs for sniffing the accelerants at the blaze site is new to me. But it is very good use of dogs’ sniffing capabilities.
The Gallery is Awesome as it shows how Dogs are the true companions of Fire fighters. Dogs are some of the most loyal non human companions. They’re known for their unconditional love and affection, and their ability to fetch and follow commands. That is the reason dogs are known as the most faithful animals. They need our love and affection as well. We give them just a little care and affection and they can do the most dangerous things just for the loyalty.
Also heard great stories of dogs doing great help for the fire fighters. I was surprised by an event happen in Netherlands. A dog decided to volunteer his strength when he and his walker were passing by a group of firefighters who were using a rope to pull down a damaged tree. The dog unexpectedly approached the part of rope that was lying on the ground, grabbed hold of it, and began to tug away, right along with the men in uniform. After making some headway, the firefighters and their new volunteer were successful in their efforts, and the tree… Read more »
Its amazing what dogs can be trained to do. You think of specialized training usually and you think of police dogs and they do an amazing job as well. The old image of a dalmation riding with the fireman comes to mind but really there are several breeds that are well suited to providing a service. I have three dogs of my own and the only thing that gets me from that gallery here is that he leaves his safety boots on, my dogs would have acted like I had done something horrible to them and not move from that… Read more »
@ ITs_Hazel
My uncle was a county sherrif deputy who handles a K9 officer. He loved that dog like one of his own kids. The dog was certainly part of the family and everyone loved him. He was a good dog, and he knew when he went to work, it was all business. =)
@ batye
There are so many ways that dogs can assist people. Not only in law enforcement and security and fire investigations….. Have you ever seen the stories about dogs being companions to people who are terminally ill or facing debilitating disease. They do wonders for the spirits of people. My mom lives in a nursing home and they bring a companion dog in that visits her a couple days a week and I tell you, it does wonders for her.
I think soon we would see mix of nature and technology where dog could carry camera and two way communicator with other set of sensors…
yes, as we are forgeting our way to being human… dogs do bring humanity in all of us and help us feel connected to nature and each other… how I see it…
working dogs is very smart and know difrence between work time and play/rest time… my dog always know when to be guardian and when to be home pet…