Mary Cablk of the Desert Research Institute discusses the crucial role of search and rescue dogs in fatal fire response

Can you tell me about your journey working with dogs?

My involvement in search and rescue was deeply personal; a team in Zion National Park once saved a close friend’s life.

This incident ignited a keen interest in the incredible capabilities of dogs, especially their unparalleled detection abilities.

Over the span of a decade, I orchestrated an expansive research initiative.

We began with a simple yet vital question: Could dogs effectively detect live desert tortoises? Our research didn’t just stop there; it broke ground and set the foundation for what would become a global movement.

Today, conservation and contraband dogs operate worldwide, detecting a myriad of items ranging from plants, moulds, to various animals.

In the early stages, this journey wasn’t without its challenges.

Many were sceptical, often dismissing the idea out of concerns that dogs might be a threat to wildlife.

However, with perseverance and documented success, we changed many perceptions.

Parallel to my research, I was becoming involved in search and rescue.

Here, I invested time in training, certifying, and deploying my own canine for various missions.

This hands-on experience enriched my understanding and skills, leading me to collaborate with renowned trainers from all corners of the globe.

My work has given me the privilege to share insights on canine research internationally.

How are dogs selected for intense training and search missions?

When selecting dogs for search missions, we consider a broad spectrum of breeds, not just the traditional ones like German Shepherds, Labradors, Retrievers, or Border Collies.

With missions varying in environments globally, we need dogs with specific innate characteristics that suit each mission’s unique demands, which sometimes leads us to look beyond the usual breeds.

For search and rescue or recovery tasks, the ideal dogs are medium-sized.

Too large, and they may not operate efficiently, while being too small poses its own challenges – hence, you won’t find Chihuahuas in search and rescue roles.

Predominantly, we deploy breeds like Labradors, Retrievers, Border Collies, Malinois, and German Shepherds.

The key quality we seek is “drive” or a strong motivation.

Contrary to what the public might think, these dogs are motivated by play rewards rather than affection for humans or their handlers.

Essentially, when these dogs perform correctly, their reward is a fun play session, with handlers essentially acting as their toy caddy.

What’s unique about training dogs for fire scenes vs. other search missions?

Training dogs for fire scenes is distinct due to the unique challenges posed by post-fire environments.

In places like California, where fire seasons have become the norm, we’ve evolved our training and deployment strategies, especially after lessons learned from the 2018 Camp Fire which revealed that some traditional methods could be detrimental.

The aftermath of a fire is fraught with hazards: residual heat with potential hotspots that can remain at high temperatures, lingering harmful chemicals dispersed as particles, and the risks posed by re-aerosolised contaminants when disturbed.

While handlers wear protective gear, dogs don’t.

Covering their faces would impede their primary asset: their sense of smell.

And while booties might protect their paws from hot surfaces, they hinder the dogs’ ability to grip slick surfaces and dissipate heat as dogs sweat through their paws.

Moreover, dogs’ proximity to the ground puts them at a greater risk of inhaling contaminants, not to mention the hazardous smoke.

Yet, despite these challenges, their olfactory abilities are astounding.

They can navigate through thick smoke and still detect their target scent.

Over time, we’ve perfected techniques to decontaminate dogs, minimising their exposure to harmful residues.

Is it difficult to find human remains?

Walking through the footprint of a burnt site can disrupt and inadvertently damage potential evidence, making identification and recovery of remains more challenging.

 It’s essential to approach these sites with caution.

Instead of walking through and potentially causing more harm, we often analyse the footprint from the outside.

Through experience and data collection from fires, there is predictability in where remains are most likely to be located

We train our dogs to pinpoint the presence of individuals from outside, allowing them to enter safely if necessary.

This requires specialised training, as dogs must work at a distance from their handler and approach remains delicately.

The remains can be extremely fragile, and in cases where multiple individuals are found together (commingling), the separation of remains is critical to ensure each individual is returned to their respective families.

Disturbing the site can mix the remains of separate individuals, complicating the work for forensic anthropologists.

Beyond the mere retrieval of remains, families often seek understanding.

They desire knowledge about their loved ones’ last moments: their location, actions, and whether they were aware of what was happening.

How do you ensure dogs’ mental health given their challenging missions?

Dogs don’t perceive their finds emotionally as humans do; they don’t understand the concept of human remains.

Instead, they’re enthusiastic and excited about the task.

What matters most for their wellbeing is the opportunity to succeed.

Continual searches without discoveries aren’t saddening for them, but they aren’t reinforcing either.

It’s essential to ensure they regularly make “finds” and are rewarded.

Many dogs would persist in their tasks longer than advisable because they’re so driven.

Our role is to ensure their health, hydration, nutrition, safety, and provide necessary rest.

They might be relentless, but they’re not robots, and we must recognise when it’s time for them to rest.

Have dog training methods evolved?

There’s been a shift in understanding the necessity of training dogs on burned remains.

Previously, standard cadaver dogs were deployed, but it became apparent that the varied states of burned remains presented unique challenges.

The spectrum of burned remains can range from slightly charred bodies to calcification, where only a trained expert could identify the ash-like remains.

While the exact odour profile of burned human remains isn’t fully understood, dogs have demonstrated an ability to detect them.

Specialised training enhances their success rate.

How crucial is the handler-dog bond, and how do you strengthen it?

The handler-dog bond is crucial, but its nature varies among handlers.

It’s essential for dogs to trust their handlers, especially when entering dangerous or unfamiliar situations.

However, an overly dependent dog can’t effectively do its job.

While we guide them on where to search, they must be confident and independent enough to execute the task without constant encouragement.

We are their teammates, not their cheerleaders.

Can you share a memorable rescue story involving a canine?

During the outbreak of the Butte fire in California, I had the opportunity to work with my recently certified Malinois.

Even though she was a young and relatively inexperienced dog, her training prepared her for this moment.

We were tasked with searching various burned structures, and while inspecting one particular site, she gave a clear indication of a final response, suggesting the presence of human remains.

At the same time, an emergency occurred: another handler’s dog had accidentally fallen into a hidden sewer tank due to a wooden cover that had been destroyed by the fire.

Addressing this situation was our immediate priority.

After ensuring the other dog’s safety, I alerted the detectives to my dog’s indication.

They were initially sceptical, as there were no visible signs of any remains.

I persisted, pointing out the circumstances: the resident of the house was known to have limited mobility, their car was still in the driveway, and all other signs suggested they hadn’t left before the fire.

Given this evidence and my dog’s strong indication, the detectives agreed to a more thorough investigation.

Upon closer examination and with the assistance of a forensic anthropologist, it was confirmed that the remains of the individual were present, but they were reduced to a state of almost complete ash due to the severe heat of the fire.

Without my Malinois’s accurate detection, this individual might have remained undiscovered, leaving a family without answers.

This experience not only solidified my confidence in my young dog but also underscored the importance of canine teams in disaster response scenarios.

Is there a future where search and rescue dogs might be replaced?

Despite significant efforts in creating advanced robots and sensors mimicking these canines, no technology has yet surpassed dogs’ proficiency, particularly in odour detection.

Dogs’ extraordinary olfactory abilities, combined with their agility, render them essential for search missions.

Enhanced strategies, informed by experience, now enable us to deploy them in high-probability locations within residences, increasing the efficiency of our searches.

The immediate focus lies in enhancing our current methodologies and prioritising the safety of our canine companions.

Introducing tools that can detect hazards in real-time could be beneficial, but outfitting dogs with such devices brings forth challenges.

Anything hindering their agility or scent detection is counterintuitive.

Although technology will keep advancing, the present consensus is clear: our canine partners, with their unique skills, remain indispensable in search and rescue operations.

This article was originally published in the November 2023 issue of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.