in We meet the courageous fire investigation pooches who, kitted out in their protective booties, are lending an invaluable helping paw to the fire service By Katharine Wootton When the phone call comes in to retired firefighter Mike Shooter from the police or fire brigade that there’s been a fire that needs to be investigated for potential arson, his first port of call is to look for his dog. Etta has been taught Once he’s found Etta the black to sniff out liquids which are known to Labrador – who’s usually busy be used to start fires eating – it’s time for Mike to don his hard boots and firefighting gear while Etta quietly lets him put on her protective rubber Velcro booties. Then off they trot to get down to some life-changing work, investigating some of the most devastating fire scenes, These boots are made for walking: Etta, Sox and Aston, ready for action Hero dogs boots! sometimes just hours after the blaze has cooled down. Mike and Etta are part of K9FI, a not-for-profit community interest company set up by Mike and fellow firefighter Jon Willingham in 2014 after hearing about the benefits of fire investigation dogs elsewhere in the country. Now, Mike and Etta, along with Mike’s younger dog Sox and Jon’s spaniel Aston, assist dozens of fire scenes around the country to rule in or out the possibility of arson, murder or insurance fraud. While these pooches are just ordinary pets, their natural personality matched with six weeks’ training makes them valuable assets in identifying deliberate fire-starting, resulting in prosecutions. “The dogs have to be stubborn and bold because you want them to be able to use their own mind and not keep looking to you for reassurance. They also need to be totally toy-obsessed,” laughs Mike. This is because the training of these dogs revolves around a dog’s best friend – a tennis ball. “When training, we use 12 little flour shakers, one of which will contain a tennis ball. When the dog’s nose touches the shaker with the tennis ball we use a clicker and throw them another ball. Then when they get the idea of the game, we add a bit of petrol to the ball so they realise when they smell this smell, they need to freeze and put their nose on it and they get a reward. As far as they’re concerned, it’s all a big game.” As training steps up, the dogs are taught to react to 12 common liquid accelerants which could be used to start a fire, although often they’ll be able to pick up many more. Once training is done and the dogs are qualified, it’s time for them to start the job for real as they hunt down the smell of liquid accelerants. “Fires are pretty devastating things and the blackness of a burnout absorbs light, making it a totally new experience for the dogs, with lots of different smells. But like an athlete, the more the dogs train, the better they get and the more confident they become in different situations.” While Mike and Jon never ask their dogs to go into somewhere they wouldn’t consider safe enough to go themselves, sometimes these pooches find themselves in situations many ordinary dogs would run a mile from. “The bigger dogs who can’t be carried up a ladder with us sometimes have to go into high buildings in a special harness and pulley, so it’s important to have dogs that are not easily stressed.” ‘Over half of all UK fires are started deliberately. If we can use our dogs to get more arson prosecutions hopefully that may change’ The dogs must also venture into buildings that, as is the case with most fire scenes, are strewn with upturned nails and broken glass, hence why they wear their cute protective booties to protect the pads of their feet. The boots come in all different sizes and are made to the measurements of each specific dog. They cost an eye-watering £70 a set and every dog gets several sets to avoid crosscontaminating scenes as they go from one job to another. However, Mike real life reveals he’s yet to win his dogs over on their fashionable footwear. “The dogs really don’t like wearing them and sometimes they’ll go out in the garden and try to pull them off. I often have to tease them with a tennis ball to make them forget about what they’ve got on their paws, but it is for their safety.” Since it’s been established, K9FI has helped solve a number of big cases, including a recent prosecution of double murder where his dogs seized upon the incriminating scent that proved a fire had been started deliberately. But when they’re not raking through burnt buildings, the dogs also play a role educating youngsters in the community. “We work with children who are obsessed with fires and use the dogs as a way of communicating with them. We tell them how dangerous fires are and that if a fire is caused deliberately, I would have to send my dog into that dangerous situation. So far, we’ve had lots of success in getting through to youngsters with this. “Over half of UK fires are started deliberately so it’s a massive problem that costs the economy more than £1bn as well as blighting lives. Yet the prosecution rate is very low for arson. So if we can use our dogs to get more arson prosecutions – as well as educating children – hopefully we might start dissuading more people from starting fires.” n To find out more about K9FI visit www.k9fi.co.uk Jon, Mike and the dogs have solved a number of fire-related cases 20 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 21 PICs: patrick boyd