STATEWIDE – When K9 Sky retired in March, she probably hoped she could kick back and take it easy, but little did she know she would turn around and help show her new sister, K9 Taylor, the way.
Taylor officially took the reins yesterday after she and her handler, Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Melissa Decker, graduated from Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) K9 Class #149.
Susquehanna Service Dogs initially trained Taylor before being procured by the ATF for the accelerant detection canine program. Susquehanna Service Dogs breeds, raises, trains, and places assistance dogs and hearing dogs, as well as facility dogs, to assist children and adults with disability to lead the lives they want to live.
With her unique skills, K9 Taylor has become proficient in detecting a variety of ignitable liquids such as gasoline, lighter fluid, paint thinners, and many others. Her training involved over 10,000 repetitions for odor recognition and detection, making her a valuable asset to the ATF K9 program.
The journey to becoming an accelerant detection canine is challenging. K9 Taylor underwent an intensive six weeks of training before Decker joined her. Together, they trained for another six weeks, focusing on methodology, fire chemistry, first aid, health, and wellness, as well as several investigative disciplines. Practical skills and team exercises were conducted in various settings, including vehicles, structures, humans, equipment, and fire scenes, to hone Taylor’s scent discrimination skills.
Taylor will join the agency’s other accelerant and explosive detection canine teams assigned to the Special Operations Section and respond across Maryland. With six teams, the Office of the State Fire Marshal is honored and privileged to have the country’s largest partnership of ATF-trained canine teams.
The Accelerant Detection Canine program is the only one accredited by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Board. The program provides qualified state and local law enforcement and fire service agencies with a canine and training for the canine and assigned handler, known as a canine team. To participate in the program, a state or local agency signs an agreement with ATF that details the responsibilities of both the agency and ATF. As of Friday, the ADC Program included 71 active canine teams working for 55 agencies across 27 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada.
