The Investigations Unit handles the investigation of suspicious fires of commercial and residential properties.
To report information on arson, call the Arson Hotline at 602-262-7766.
Fire investigation reports are available at the Fire Administration office, weekdays 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
For more information, call 602-256-3395. |
Sadie, the Arson Dog
The Phoenix Fire Department’s Arson Unit is lucky to have one of only two Arson Dogs in the State of Arizona. Sadie is a two-year-old chocolate Labrador Retriever. She began her training with her handler, Captain Fred Andes, in Alfred, Maine, back in April 2007. Their training was conducted by Paul Gallager, the foremost K-9 trainer of drug, bomb and arson dogs. He runs the training program for State Farm Insurance. Sadie is actually sponsored by State Farm. They purchased the dog, and paid for all the training of both the handler and the K-9, including the flight to and from Maine! The Phoenix Fire Department pays for her food and vet bills.
 
Gallager finds trainable dogs from all over the country, from newspaper ads, dog pounds, and many other sources. Labs are good for this type of work because of their temperament and willingness to work. They are high-energy work dogs, and are very people-friendly. Sadie was found tied up to a barn in Illinois. The family was moving and wanted to find her a good home. She was purchased and brought to Maine. There are approximately 200 arson dogs in the country. Arizona has two, one in Tucson and, of course, Sadie in the Phoenix area.
Sadie has learned to detect 30-60 different types of flammable liquids, hydrocarbons, and chemicals. Her sense of smell is so acute that she can even find some chemicals that a crime lab, with all its sensitive equipment, can’t detect. It’s no wonder, since dogs can smell at 240 parts per million, while humans can only smell at 60 parts per million.
Sadie is trained 2-3 hours a day, seven days a week. Sadie’s feeding hours also vary, due to the different times that her handler may get called to a fire scene.Sadie is guided around a fire scene by her handler. It’s her handler’s job to keep Sadie’s nose down and keep her focused. She turns her head in the direction of a scent. When she gets a ‘hit’, she sits down, points with her nose and positions the scent between her front paws. If her handler says “show me better”, she really sets her nose down and zeros in on the exact spot. Sadie is then led right over the scent.As amazing as Sadie’s talents are, she is a much-needed tool in fire investigations. She helps the investigator to determine if an accelerant was used and where to recover evidence, saving the investigator a lot of time and effort.
To make sure Sadie stays up to par, she gets recertified every year, along with annual physicals. Sadie will work for about 7-10 years, then she’ll retire, just like Phoenix Fire Department’s last two Arson Dogs, Zeus and Sharkey. Even though she’s a working dog, Sadie has a fairly normal home life. When she’s not at a fire or being trained, Sadie is playing with family members, chasing tennis balls or demanding attention. And like most all members of the Phoenix Fire Department, she loves her job!!!
Last modified on
05/05/2008 11:08:44
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