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The Office of the State Fire Marshal and State Farm are hosting the
three-day training event, which includes a variety of exercises to
test the dogs' ability to search for and locate accelerants. On
Wednesday morning, members of the media and other state officials
observed a training exercise in an unoccupied house south of
Springfield. "It's truly amazing how these arson dogs can find
even the tiniest amount of accelerant at a fire scene," said State
Fire Marshal J.T. Somer. "By locating that tiny drop, an arson dog
can help us gather critical evidence that many times has helped put
arsonists behind bars, where they belong. We're extremely thankful
to State Farm for sponsoring the arson dogs that are used here in
Illinois and around the nation, and for joining with us to host this
annual recertification."
The $25,000 cost of training both the dog and the handler is paid
by State Farm. State Farm's interest in arson dogs began in 1992,
when the company staff heard about a training program in Maine. The
company began partnering with the Maine State Police in 1993, when
it agreed to sponsor about 12 dogs a year for an initial three-year
period. The partnership with trainer Paul Gallagher has continued
today, and more than 200 teams have been placed in 40 states, the
District of Columbia and Canada.
"Whether it's through the loss of lives, jobs or higher insurance
premiums, arson hurts us all," said Joe Johnson, public affairs
specialist for State Farm Insurance. "The hard work of the dogs and
investigators we've sponsored for training is not only putting away
arsonists, but helps to deter those who think about setting fires."
Before becoming a team, dogs and their handlers must complete an
intensive five-week training session in Alfred, Maine. The dogs, all
Labrador retrievers, are trained on the food reward system
-- they eat only when they work or train. During the training
session, the dogs are taught how to maneuver around physical
obstacles, detect minute traces of accelerants that may be used in
arson fires, and lead investigators to a specific location where
physical samples can be secured, analyzed and confirmed by special
laboratories. At the end of the course, a chemist certifies that
each dog is capable of discriminating scents of a variety of
substances used to set fires. This certification is crucial because
the evidence uncovered by the dog and handler can become a key point
in subsequent criminal and civil trials.
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After completing the initial training, the dog and handler become a
team, living and working together daily. Each year, the team must be
recertified through training, such as the three-day session in
Springfield this week. The Illinois state canine arson teams --
located in Alexander, Cook, Sangamon and St. Clair counties --
assist local fire departments and law enforcement officials in
determining the cause of difficult fires throughout Illinois. Local
officials contact the Office of the State Fire Marshal through a
24-hour line, and a team usually responds to the scene within three
hours. In 2004, the four OSFM canines assisted with 223 fire
investigations. The teams also work to increase arson awareness and
education by providing canine demonstrations for various
organizations, including schools and civic groups.
This week's training was attended by teams from Illinois, Iowa,
Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas, West
Virginia and Wisconsin. In addition to expressing gratitude to State
Farm for sponsoring the training, the state fire marshal expressed
gratitude to the Springfield Fire Department for its assistance with
training sites and logistics and to the Springfield Salvation Army
for donations of old furniture used in the training.
For more information about arson dogs, see
www.arsondog.org.
[News release from the
Office of the State Fire
Marshal] |
