Dog Talk
The
official unofficial
newsletter for FEMA dog handlers
April 2002
VOLUME 5 / NUMBER 2
Please forward any news, scheduled events, letters to the editor, or
other info you want disseminated via DOG TALK, the underground
canine newsletter to Anne Trout at amccurdy@clarian.org
or via fax (317) 962-7549.
FROM THE EDITOR
As
we all know, this whole disaster dog thing takes a lot of
perseverance. And if we are lucky, we run across an
outstanding teammate who inspires us to meet the challenges we face
with courage, trust and dignity. Krueger was that teammate.
The first certified dog on the Indiana Task Force, this stoic
Rottweiler proved you don't have to be a Lab (or a Shepherd) to do
this work. You just have to persevere. It is with great
sadness that I must include the letter that Gary Hay wrote on March
13, 2002.
To All:
This morning Shelley and I laid Krueger to rest. He had been
declining in health and refusing to eat. He started to eat
again last week and gave us some hope but again this weekend he
would not eat. The spirit was fading and we felt Krueger
should pass on with the dignity he deserved. Yes, there is sadness
but that is quickly replaced with the great memories. There
are few things that change one's life, marriage, children and for us
it was Krueger. I look at all the people we call our friends,
and the vast majority have been the result of our meeting because of
the activities we were involved with Krueger. Our Friends at
ECHO, which led to NISAR, which led to IN TF-1, which has led to
friends across the nation. I said a special "thank you to
Kruegs" for all that he has done for us. It has been an honor
and privilege to be his traine and handler. Oh, I
haven't forgot the times that he ran out of the obedience ring (he
was just telling me he wasn't ready for that!) and all of those
other "great moments." Krueger has passed on, but his
spirit lives on with our friendships we have made. He has a
prominent place on our property, on the hill by the woods, looking
back at the house and the proposed pond site.
Gary Hay
INTF-1
KRUEGER October 31, 1990 - March 13, 2002
Thanks to Tony Zintsmaster for providing a photo of Gary and Krueger
at the Atlanta Olympics.
FROM
THE READERS
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
submitted by Jean Seibert
Unit IV - Safety and Security, page 1, of my USAR Technical Search
Specialist manual states, "Search and rescue is one of the most
dangerous types of emergency response activities that can be
performed. It exposes the team members to many hazards that
they have little training and virtually no experience to
combat." INTF-1 is just off of the bus with no idea of
what we were going encounter. As collapsed Building 7 loomed
before us with the refuse from the collapse being sprawled six feet
high across the street; it was obvious we had met the enemy.
Upon deployment to Building 7, my responsibility was to work with
the search cameras behind the K9's in areas where any focused
barking would indicate that a live find had been made. The
working pair would enter in through a void and allow the collapsed
building to swallow them up as fractions of INTF-1 and I stood and
watched. It was not a cakewalk for them. The building
next to the one we were working in was on fire and falling into
where the handlers and dogs were. On the outside everyone
listened for radio communication from the handlers while watching
the building fire and falling debris. Although outside forces
and gravity had brought this building down to where it was at the
time, it appeared to be capable of more compression. Both dogs
working Building 7 had shown interest in generally the same area. It
was believed to have been a person caught in the collapse who may
have been making a final sweep through the area to make sure all
personnel were evacuated. Due to the severity of the collapse it
would have been a small miracle to have expected a live find. The
tangle of steel, wires, insulation and other shattered objects made
for an impervious barrier. Both dogs working this area were
cross-trained in cadaver and did not give live find alerts. Once the
redundancy with a second dog had been performed I was called in to
put my equipment to use. Just like the certification testing
the handlers stated, "I believe the dog is alerting here."
From that I took my cue and tried to find the best possible way into
the smaller voids with the equipment and locate the body. I
worked for some time in the area the dogs had made an indication of
possible human remains, until we were told to leave the area due to
its unstable condition.
Having trained with these particular dogs for years has given me a
level of insight of what their normal alert and body posturing is
when they are working a scent pool. I'd eagerly watch the
handler perform their tactical plan with the dog and then watch the
dog's response. If the dog gave an indication of recovery
where it was sent, there was the mutual trust that the dog would
work it out. Other times the dog would be sent away to work
areas on their own with the handler expecting the dog to pick up
scent and follow on its own volition. The dog is expected to
do this.
When my morning shift would arrive to the WTC site the K9's were
deployed almost immediately every day to Towers One and Two.
Some days the more specialized teams would follow the K9's to the
work site. Sometimes I would work behind the K9's and other
times I would be assigned to particular sections of the pile with
the equipment to ferret out possible voids to search. The
rapid pace of work on site kept us moving on to another possible
indication the dogs had or left searching on our own part for viable
voids. The working dogs were not responding with their usual
focused bark indicating live human finds. The dogs that were
cross-trained gave their alert used for human remains detection. The
dogs not cross-trained continued daily looking for live victims.
This disaster went quickly from expecting to rescue live victims to
looking for human remains.
Training with the K9's gives me the confidence in our K9 teams.
If the dogs were alerting then I believed we had something. I
never second-guessed the K9 teams I was working with. If an
outsider asked how good our dogs were, I always replied with a
confident statement of reassurance that they were in the presence of
some of United States' best. On site is not the time to
rethink your K9 team's capability. We train hard and are
thorough in our training.
I cross train as one of the Technical Search Specialist on our team.
I first started working on the Technical Search Team after Wayne
Morgan, Search Team Manager, a very qualified and challenging
professor of the trade, had recruited me and others from the K9 team
who were working non-certified K9's. He showed up to the K9 training
with neat toys and gadgets. I love cameras and found the
additional equipment to be fascinating with great potential for
intended search scenarios. At a later point in time he asked
if I would take the class to be given in Fairfax this past summer
with Wendy York, another K9 handler from INTF-1. I did
and during that week, I had the opportunity to get to know other
members of the USAR teams from around the United States. This
foreshadows the event I experienced while waiting to be deployed to
Tower 1. I was setting up and checking to make sure my Delsar
acoustical device was working. Steve Gillespie, NYTF-1 walked
up. What a cause for a celebration but time and
responsibilities prevented the warranted party. He too was off
duty when the towers collapsed. In the short time he had, he
recited the list of names of the living I would recognize from the
class. I breathed a sigh of relief, I was then given the
signal from our TFL and I had to go do my job.
Jean Seibert/INTF-1 Technical Search Specialist/K9 Search Specialist
~~~~~~~~~~~
TYPE I TEST IN TURKEY
Submitted by Elaine Sawtell
It was a bumpy ride through the stormy November night as Fred Pitts,
his wife Cathy, and I flew to Istanbul. Fred, a FEMA canine
handler/evaluator from California; his wife Cathy, with a history of
training 300 dogs as a senior trainer for Guide Dogs for the Blind,
and I were to meet Pat and Hakan Kaynaroglu and conduct three days
of training, followed by a FEMA Type II and Type I test, sponsored
by International Emergency Response K9.
The sprawling city came into sight, and I began to relax until the
Turkish Air pilot, in broken English, informed us there was, "a
little problem." As we pulled up and headed off in the
general direction of Afghanistan, I asked myself, "And just WHY
am I doing this?" The reason is clear. Turkey is a
country criss-crossed by earthquake faults. Our mission as
canine handlers and trainers is to do everything we can to help them
prepare for the inevitable. In the last few years, the quakes
have been moving steadily west along fault lines toward Istanbul,
home of 10 million people. In 1999, a quake hit the town of
Izmet, just east of Istanbul. 40,000 people died. The days
passed quickly and the nights even quicker.
We never got to bed before 2 a.m. and were up at 5:30. There
was the usual Turkish political intrigue, crazy traffic, wonderful
food, frustrations with the language barrier, and rain...constant
rain until we departed 10 days later. There is also the memory of
the Turkish people. The firefighter from Ankara who spoke no
English but told me through a translator of his sorrow about the
events of September 11 and how he longed to respond and help with
his dog (now a Type I). The teenage translator, who was a
Foreign Exchange student in Boston but was sent home after September
11. Vice President Mustafa Yasar Kelleci, who is putting
everything on the line to help his people prepare a lifesaving
response to a future disaster, as well as establishing services for
the physically handicapped to cope with the problems they face
today.
The test victims. As in March, they spent long hours, up to
eight hours, buried in metal barrels (a safety factor in case there
is a quake), without complaint. Once again I came away
with great respect for the skill and commitment of these teams.
Two passed the Type I test. The piles were real...two
apartment buildings in crowded residential/business areas, knocked
down the day before...one factory, the size of a football field.
The distractions were real and everywhere: people, human
waste, garbage, animals, dead and alive, food, unstable rubble,
noise, confusion, added to the language barrier of taking directions
from 3 American evaluators. They worked through it. They
didn't count victims...they found them, all of them. They took
care of their dogs, and their dogs will save lives.
On February 28, a 4.5 quake hit the Marmara Sea just outside of
Istanbul. It may be an isolated event or the prelude to
something bigger. The job is so big, the time is so short; but
the work has begun.
Elaine Sawtell
~~~~~~~~~~
Submitted by Fred Pitts
International Emergency Response K9 (ERK9), a non-profit
organization is looking for FEMA certified canine teams to place
applications on file for possible deployment internationally in
response to requests for aid from the government of a disaster
struck nation. Our initial focus is Turkey, a nation that
lives under the threat of a major earthquake that will cause extreme
devastation...again. Teams responding for ERK9 do so as an
unpaid volunteer. For further information send an email
to fepitts@interx.net.
Fred Pitts
~~~~~~~~~~~
Submitted by Hilda Wood
Just Bragging...
Ransom's Moonstone Starr got her third Novice leg with a 4th place
and a score of 190.5. She is an 8 month old Labrador and already has
her CGC and is in training to be a FEMA search and rescue dog!
Hilda Wood
~~~~~~~~~~~
METHOD OF CANINE SCREENING FOR DISASTER DOGS
Since Sept. 11th many of us that are also members of wilderness SAR
teams, have received numerous inquiries from people wanting to
donate their dogs as potential SAR candidates. While well
meaning, many of these canines simply lack the necessary qualities
to make an excellent SAR/Disaster dog. Click
here to read an article which will discuss how to
tell if these Canine candidates are "Raising their paws"
for SAR Disaster work.
David Brownell.
= The above article is an Adobe Acrobat Reader file. To
download Adobe's reader - click
here.
ASK
DOGTALK:
1) What is a cadisaster dog? Shirley Hammond coined the term "cadaster"
after Oklahoma City. It is a disaster-trained dog that locates
human remains under the rubble, instead of live victims. They
are not cross-trained on live human scent.
2) Is FEMA supporting this kind of canine? From Justin
Reuter/Search Subcommittee Not currently, but the questions are in
discussion at the canine subcommittee level, and suggestions will
then be forwarded on to the SWG for evaluation and policy.
3) Does FEMA have Standards for this type of canine, and where do
these canines fit into the FEMA program? From Hugh Bouchelle/FEMA
US&R Program Specialist No - FEMA does not have established
standards or a position on the teams for these dogs except in the
live search role.
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TEST
INFORMATION
Please forward any news, scheduled events, letters to the
editor, or other info you want disseminated via DOG TALK, the
underground canine newsletter to Anne Trout at amccurdy@clarian.org
or via fax (317) 962-7549.
April 27-28, 2002, Miami, Florida TYPE II Testing
Lodging at the Ramada Limited
located at 7600 N. Kendall Dr. (ten rooms reserved under Miami
Dade Fire Rescue USAR) hotel # 305-595-6000. Contact
Pat Selts at: stuntmedx2@aol.com
. Fax applications
to Pat at 305-595-1698. First come, first serve.
TENTATIVE TESTING DATES
May 31 - June 2, 2002 Type II and Type I
Testing, Denver, Colorado.
Tentative testing in Denver.
Important - attendees should NOT make airline reservations until
the test is confirmed!
September 28 - 29,
2002 Beverly,
MASS TYPE II Testing
The fee for our test will be
$75.00 which includes all meals except for Saturday night's
dinner. There will be a cookout Friday night as a welcome.
(Coffee, bagels, box lunch, fruit, water, etc. available)
Transportation will be provided at the site of the test. We have 6
more openings for the test.
Contact Mark Dawson for further information:
Home (203) 629-2557 Work (203)
622-8087 Pager (860) 504-0295
Cell (203) 253-4795 Fax (203)
862-8913 Email: MWDRescue503@worldnet.att.net
TENTATIVE in the fall
Fairfax,
Virginia TYPE II
2002 California Test Schedule:
May 18-19, L.A. City area,
deadline for applications is April 8.
August 17-18, San Diego area, deadline for applications is July 8.
November 16-17, Riverside, CA area, deadline for applications is
October 7.
Applications, with a $25 testing fee attached can be sent to:
Lynne Engelbert, 19327 Northampton Dr., Saratoga, CA 95070-3330.
Checks should be made out to: National Disaster Search Dog
Foundation or NDSDF with CSSWG Account indicated on the
"memo" line.
CA and re-certifying (CA & out-of-state) teams have priority
with out-of-state testing teams welcome to fill remaining slots,
if available.
For information on California tests, contact: Lynne Engelbert
FAX (650) 604-7051 or (650) 604-0994
Work - (650) 604-3112
Home - (408) 257-1784
The National Certification List of FEMA Certified Disaster Canine
Search Teams is provided by Lynne Engelbert. (Lynne's e-mail: lengelbert@mail.arc.nasa.gov)
It is available on this web page. To
view it - click here.
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KUDOS
TO.......
DOGTALK is pleased to announce that the following Canine Search
Teams have recently gained certification (or re-certification) as
FEMA US&R Type I or Type II Canine Search Specialists:
Sacramento, CA Results - February 2002
Type I Certified:
Monica Barger & "Zima" (NETF-1)
Darren Bobrosky & "Dylan" (CA-OES)
Rob Cima & "Harley" (CA-OES)
Kim Cooper & "Piper" (Canada)
Jane David & "Kita" (WATF-1)
Steve Pendergrass & "Marc" (CA-OES)
Nancy Perkins & "Jaeger" (CA-OES)
Peter Sellas & "Madison" (CA-OES)
John Strickland & "Wally" (CA-OES)
Debra Tosch & "Abby" (CA-OES)
Ann Wichmann & "Torie" (COTF-1)
Phoenix, AZ Results - March 2002:
Type II Certified:
Danny Hopper & "Heidi" (TNTF-1)
Type I Certified:
LaFond Davis & "Sunny" (WATF-1)
Elizabeth Kreitler & "Nero" (VATF-1)
Teresa MacPherson & "Georgia" (VATF-1)
Jeaneen McKinney & "Ronin" (NMTF-1)
Steve Rochford & "Kona" (TXTF-1)
Diane Whetsel & "Sage" (NMTF-1)
Hideko Yamaguchi & "Ondo" (VATF-1)
Type II Evaluators
Tori Kidd, handler (FLTF1)
Elizabeth Kreitler, handler (VATF1)
Bill Gilbert, STM (PATF1)
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UPCOMING
SEMINAR:
no upcoming seminars listed at this time
Disaster Seminar Update
A 3-day K9 Disaster Seminar was held at the Kal-Kan plant in
Greenville, Texas (just outside of Dallas) from March 8th through
March 10th, 2002. This seminar was sponsored by DogSpeedOne,
Chilport USA, and Working Search Dogs. Over 30 students and
their K9 partners from across the United States attended the
seminar. They came from Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana,
Louisiana, Maryland and Arkansas. The experience of the
students and their K9 partners varied. Some of the students
were FEMA-certified handlers, others were search handlers for
regional SAR and Wilderness groups, and still others were just
entering the SAR and Disaster handling field. All the students
were interested in increasing their knowledge of how to deploy
safely and effectively in a disaster environment.
The seminar curriculum presented a good balance of classroom and
fieldwork. Classroom topics included: Lessons Learned from
Domestic and International Deployments, FEMA Canine Readiness
Standards, Brownell-Marsolais K9 Screening Instrument, Working the
Search Dog in Drive. Fieldwork exercises included: Agility,
Directionals, Bark Barrel, Building Search, and Environmental
Hazards. The final day of the seminar involved a trip to Big
City Concrete in Dallas. There the students and their K9s
gained firsthand experience in operating in a dangerous and
demanding search environment. Additionally, working in and
around the rubble brought home the points taught in the first two
days of the seminar. All the students and their K9s made it
through the exercises uninjured. Instructors for the seminar
were: David Brownell, Scott Earhart, Sonja Heritage and Mark
Marsolais. Jan Abbs assisted as safety officer and adjunct
instructor. Linda Morgan tirelessly filled in as the primary
helper/victim. The instructors were extremely pleased with the
caliber of the participating handlers and their K9s. It was a
very successful seminar. Plans are in the works for the 2nd
Annual K9 Disaster Seminar to be held next year at the same time.
Photographs of the seminar can be viewed at: www.workingsearchdogs.com
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ROTATIONAL
SCHEDULE
Are your bags packed????
"First Out" (after the 3 closest teams..) on the US&R
rotational schedule are:
August - INTF-1, MDTF-1 and CATF
September - MOTF-1, FLTF-2 and CATF
October - TXTF-1, OHTF-1 and CATF
November - UTTF-1, NYTF-1 and CATF
December - AZTF-1, FLTF-1 and CATF
The Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Task Force is currently
accepting applications for the position of K-9 Search Specialist.
In addition to an application packet, persons wishing to be
considered for these open positions MUST live within a reasonable
driving distance of Harrisburg, PA and MUST participate in a K-9
Team evaluation on Saturday Sept. 8th, 2001.
The evaluation for which applicants will be tested is the FEMA TYPE
II CANINE EVALUATION. The evaluation will be administered
through Task Force personnel with FEMA qualified evaluators.
Application packets can be obtained through the Task Force Office at
the following address:
Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Task Force
c/o FEMA
PO Box 3321
Harrisburg, PA 17105-3321
Attn.: Program Manager
Or via the Internet at: mpeterson@state.pa.us
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PRESS
RELEASE
PHILADELPHIA - When the World Trade Center and sections of the
Pentagon came crashing down Sept. 11, the rubble left for rescuers
was laden with asbestos, diesel fuel, PCBs and countless other
toxins. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have now begun
a three-year study of the search-and-rescue mission's effects on
rescue dogs and their handlers. Comprised of veterinary
researchers and psychologists, the team will focus on the physical
and psychological toll, possibly sounding an early alert on ailments
to watch for among those who have toiled to clear the wreckage.
"Few dogs at the World Trade Center and Pentagon suffered acute
injuries, but during the next three years we expect them to serve as
our sentinels on long-term consequences," said lead researcher
Cynthia M. Otto, associate professor of critical care in Penn's
School of Veterinary Medicine. "We may see health effects that
will follow in humans 10 or 20 years from now." Because
the canine teams put in an average seven to 10 days at sites thick
with potentially carcinogenic chemicals, Otto's team will pay
particular attention to the incidence of cancer. Melissa Hunt,
associate director of clinical training in Penn's Department of
Psychology, will lead the associated study of dog handlers. Patterns
of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder among this small
group of personnel, Hunt said, would likely be replicated among the
thousands of others who have combed the ruins of the World Trade
Center and Pentagon. Otto's study involves more than 200 search dogs
and handlers from across the U.S. Some were part of trained rescue
teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, while others
arrived unannounced in New York and at the Pentagon as part of the
nationwide outpouring of support. The FEMA dogs will undergo
intensive, periodic examinations by their local veterinarians. Dogs
brought in by private individuals will be assessed through surveys
of their handlers. The questionnaires will focus on behavioral
disorders, such as aggression or fearfulness that may have been
induced by long hours of work without adequate play or the reward of
finding live victims. Support for the study comes from the AKC
Canine Health Foundation, the American Kennel Club, Ralston Purina
Co., Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. and the Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation. The study also includes researchers at Michigan State
University and the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.
Otto is still seeking rescue dogs that worked at either the World
Trade Center or Pentagon to participate in the study. The
study also needs control dogs for comparison data. The control
dog is one who was not at either disaster site, but is similarly
trained and or certified. Handlers of such dogs can contact
either Dr. Otto at cmotto@vet.upenn.edu
or Amanda Downend at adownend@vet.upenn.edu.
~
While the dogs are resting, go to: http://catf3.usar.org/training/k9packaging/index.html
or click here to see the WTC from above.
FEMA
K9 SUB-COMMITTEE REPORT
First of all, a round of applause to welcome Shirley Hammond, newly
appointed West Coast Rep. replacing Sharon Gattas in Region A.
She is a welcome asset to the Subcommittee, bringing our total to
five. I hear that the other proposed East Coast Rep is all
tied up with red tape. That happens out here in the East.
But I am assured that one day in the near future the tape will be
unraveled and we will have our sixth member. Meanwhile, Region
C, its still just moi for now.
Secondly, a hand for our new Type II Evaluators--Tori Kidd, handler
(FLTF1), Elizabeth Kreitler, handler (VATF1), Bill Gilbert, STM
(PATF1). Kudos to them for successfully completing the Shadow
Process--a feat in itself.
This being a dynamic process, we keep trying to improve it as issues
arise. The program has never had so many new evaluators in
such a short period of time. It was not possible to foresee
all the potential glitches. And I'm sure we haven't seen them
all. We now have standardized forms for the Mentors to use for
the candidate reviews, so that everyone is being judged by the same
criteria.
We ask that when a TFL or STM endorses an application for a Shadow
Candidate, that there is consideration as to the candidate's
qualification for the position. We are trusting the judgment
of those sponsoring the candidate, that the candidate is capable of
doing the job and will be an asset to the program.
Recently, there have been requests to shadow Type I evaluations
before completing the Type II process. While we understand
that Type I's are hard to come by, it is clearly stated that the
candidate must be a rostered Type II evaluator (among other
prerequisites) before beginning the Type I shadow process.
This will stand as written (for now).
And now that we have such a large pool of evaluators, the need for a
tracking system has become apparent. All of you should have
received a form to complete, giving your evaluator history. To
be acknowledged as a current evaluator, you need to keep this info
updated and make sure that Lynne Englebert receives it.
Lastly, a heads-up - It is not official yet, but there is a big push
for a Task Force requirement of CERTIFIED TEAMS ONLY going out the
door on deployments. There are now only three Task Forces
without certified teams out of the twenty-eight, so this is well
within the realm of possibility. These numbers are pretty
impressive given that the canine element is pretty self-sufficient
in its training and testing. Thanks to everyone who has
brought the concept of deployment of certified teams only closer to
a reality.
Now for some easy Q's and A's--
Q: In the Type II Shadow Process, does the pretest have to be
done after the 2 shadow experiences?
A: No, the above may be completed in any order.
Q: How many tests can be held at a given time?
A: The sponsoring agency will declare in advance the type of
test (segmented or not) and the number of tests to be to be
administered within the given timeframe.
As always, we appreciate your input. Keep it coming.
4-4-02
Teresa MacPherson,
Secretary, Canine Subcommittee
FEMA Canine Sub-Committee
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Please forward any news, scheduled
events, letters to the editor, or other info you want disseminated
via DOG TALK, the underground canine newsletter to Anne Trout at
amccurdy@clarian.org
or via fax (317) 962-7549.
|
