Lincoln hosts FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Canine Certification
Posted By: Marlenia Thornton
mthornton@klkntv.com
Eliodora chamberlain and her dog Phoenix were one of 19 teams that traveled to the capital city to be certified for the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Canine Program this weekend.
Ten teams were evaluated Saturday on their ability to search through two realistic disaster scenarios.
“They can clear a pile or clear areas a lot quicker than people can. They can detect scent,” Nebraska Force Task Force One Program Manager Steve Dolezal said.
Nebraska Task Force One hosted the testing.
The dogs had 20 minutes to look through the piles of rubble for live victims, which were portrayed by volunteers.
Teams from all across the country even as far as Tennessee came for the certification.
Judges rated the dogs on a variety of criteria including their ability to detect live human scent and work independently.
“It’s one of the hardest things you can do to train a dog to do,” Dolezal said. “A lot of handlers try to get dogs to come into the process and do it and just doesn’t work.”
The handlers say Saturday’s experience greatly resembled what they see during a deployment.
“You want the dogs to go out the door knowing what they’re doing. We save lives on a deployment and save your mother, brother, sister, child…what have you. These are the dogs you want,” Missouri Task Force Handler Eliodora Chamberlain said.
The testing will also continue Sunday with nine other teams.
The results are given at the end of the day.
The certification lasts for three years.
