Our fire investigation dogs—Simba, Sherlock, and trainee Smokey— may seem like ordinary pets, but their exceptional abilities make them invaluable in identifying substances that can ignite fires.
Specially trained to detect various ignitable substances, our four-legged friends play a crucial role in criminal investigations, helping to determine if a fire was deliberately started.
Their extraordinary sense of smell, more accurate than some technological devices, have helped the Fire Investigation Team provide a higher level of accuracy and improve conviction rates in arson cases against people who deliberately start fires.
The speed at which they can sniff out ignitable substances has reduced the time required to investigate the scene of a fire. If no ignitable substances are found, our Fire Investigation Team can concentrate on other potential sources of ignition.
Our fire investigation dogs are selected at a young age for their strong drive to play. They undergo positive reinforcement training, receiving a tennis ball as a reward whenever they detect an ignitable substance.
During their training at fire safety college, the dogs are tested in various scenarios, of increasing difficulty, including finding traces of a substance in:
Once the dogs have detected an ignitable substance, they will wait by their discovery for further instruction from their handler.
When an ignitable substance is detected, the dog will wait by the discovery until further instructions are given by their handler. To protect their paws from sharp objects and shards of glass, the dogs wear boots during investigations. Despite seemingly dangerous conditions, they are never exposed to hot environments and there has been no report of any injury to any fire dog, throughout the country.
Our fire dogs typically serve for nearly ten years and undergo annual training refreshers to ensure they aren't barking up the wrong tree when it comes to identifying substances correctly.
Our fire dogs all live with their respective handlers who, along with the Brigade, are responsible for their welfare needs. On duty, the Brigade provides facilities such as kennels and specially adapted transportation.
We adhere to the guidance in Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act and take a number of steps to protect our dogs including: providing a suitable diet; protecting them from pain, suffering and disease; and ensuring they exhibit normal behaviour.
One of our fire investigation dogs, Smokey, is sponsored by Law firm, Leigh Day.