Essex fire dog thanked for helping neighbouring fire service find cause of fire
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service’s dog handler Graham Currie and Fire Investigation Dog Fizz have been thanked after assisting at the scene of two fires in Hertfordshire.
The pair attended car fires in St Albans, Hertfordshire on Friday 11 June and in Turnford on Monday 14 June and made potentially significant finds in both incidents.
Graham is a member of the Association of Fire Investigation Dogs, which means he offers cross-border support to other fire and rescue services and, in turn, other services will assist in Essex.
Paula Stevenson, Station Commander at Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said:
"Thanks very much to Graham and Fizz for travelling to Herts to assist with the vehicle fire investigation in St Albans, it was good to meet them.
"Having the attendance of a fire investigation dog team is invaluable. This was again proved with the wide open area search that they were able to cover, saving lots of time.
"Then positive indications gave potentially valuable information to the Scenes of Crime Officer."
James Rossano Bull, Station Commander at Herts, said: "I was mobilised to a Fire Investigation and my job was made a lot easier with the assistance of Fire Investigation Dog Fizz."
An estimated £53 million is spent every week investigating arson in England and Wales.
Graham, Crew Manager at the Urban Search and Rescue team in ECFRS, said Fizz is proving to be an invaluable tool; speeding up investigations and helping to bring criminals to justice.
Fizz can identify up to 30 flammable substances and "indicates" to Graham when she can smell one, either by stopping or by pawing.
He said: "Fizz cuts down how long investigations take because she can help to rule arson in or out so quickly.
"In the incident in St Albans, she indicated around the car and away from the vehicle where she found a potential piece of evidence.
"In Turnford, she did a large search to make sure no items had been discarded away from the car. On the car itself, she indicated all around it and on the roof.
"The more we get her out to incidents, the more chance we have of bringing people to justice."
Fizz also made potentially significant finds during investigations in Borehamwood, Herts two weeks ago and in Stondon Massey, Essex, this week.
Page last updated 18 June, 2021