Odisha fire service to get 10 dogs for search, rescue operations
Bhubaneswar: In a first for the state, Odisha Fire and Emergency Services will soon induct 10 dogs in search and rescue operations.
Sources said six Labrador Retrievers and four Belgian Shepherd puppies have been procured from Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in Alwar, Rajasthan for this purpose. About 10 personnel of the Odisha Fire Service have been camping in Alwar for the last two months and are undergoing training in handling the dogs, who are likely to arrive in the state in a train this week.
At present, dogs of the 3rd battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are being deployed in search and rescue operations in Mundali. The 10 puppies procured from the SSB are three months old and will be trained by personnel of the 3rd Battalion of the NDRF and Odisha Fire Service. The training of the dogs is expected to continue for a year and once ready, they will be deployed at fire stations in Koraput, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Berhampur, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Balasore and other places.
Sources said it is not possible to immediately send dogs from the NDRF battalion in Mundali to remote places in the state. “The first few hours after a natural disaster are very critical for carrying out search and rescue operations. The state government wanted to induct dogs into the Odisha fire and emergency service,” he said.
DG Fire Services Sudhanshu Sarangi confirmed the development and said that dogs will play an important role in the coming days. “In case of natural disasters like earthquakes or landslides, these dogs can help in conducting search and rescue operations,” he said. Dogs will also be involved in conducting search and rescue operations in case of collapse of any building or other structure.
A search and rescue dog is trained to find missing people after a natural or man-made disaster. Dogs can detect human scent and can find people under water, under snow and under collapsed buildings. Common dog breeds used for search and rescue work include the German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, and Golden Retriever.
