No Ordinary
Pooch
Newest member of the Fire Department has four legs and a nose
for finding arson
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem's newest fire investigator has a nose
for finding out if arson is the cause of a blaze. His name
is Shazam, and he is a black Labrador Retriever.
Shazam is an accelerant canine, or arson dog, who can
sniff out chemicals used to start fires like gasoline,
kerosene and paint thiner. His skills will help the
Winston-Salem Fire Department at the sites of suspicious
fires.
"These dogs can go through a fire scene and identify
those fuels that are used... they can identify and smell that
much quicker than we can," said Assistant Fire Marshal
Matt Guffey, Shazam's handler. "It's always a good
resource to have."
Guffey has been investigating fires for years and said
that few fire departments in the state have arson dogs.
Before Shazam went on duty in September, Fire investiga
tors would have to borrow an arson dog from the SB1,
which could take up to four hours to get to a scene.
Shazam was provided to the fire department by the
State Farm Insurance Arson Dog Program. The program
Danny Sheppard
?
trains 1(J dogs a year and nas
placed over 200 arson dogs
with fire departments across
the country. State Farm, the
nation's largest homeowners
insurer, paid for the dog and
its training. The training,
which is conducted in New
England at Maine Speciality
Dogs, takes a month for both
handler and dog. When a fire
claim is filed. State Farm
investigates the fire so often
the company works hand-in
hand with fire departments.
"State Farm feels this is a
valuable tool in helping to
fight arson, fight fraud, it also
provides another great way to partner with fire depart
ments across the country, it's just part of our overall
effort to be a good corporate citizen," said State Farm's0
Danny Sheppard.
Shazam will regularly be on the scene at fires that
officials believe were intentionally set and at those
involving large financial loses. But he will have little
down time. To initiate him. Guffey plans to take the dog
to as many fire scenes as possible. It's good practice for
the dog. And since arson dogs are fed by hand as they
work, Shazam will get his fill as has he 'bones up' on his
skills.
The dog's feeding happens like this: Once the pair
arrive at a fire scene, Guffey straps on a pouch filled with
dog food as Shazam gets ready to go to work. The dog
will sniff around and stop when it sniffs an accelerant and
sit, at which point Guffey feeds him.
But Guffey can't always depend on fires for Shazam's
feeding time.
"When we got back (from training), we didn't have a
single house fire for three weeks, which is uncommon in
Winston," said Guffey.
When this happens Guffey sets up a series of cans
filled with various materials found after house fires, such
as sheet rock and cardboard. In one can he puts a cotton
ball with just a little bit of accelerant on it. When Shazam
finds the accelerant, he gets his treats just like he would
at a real fire.
But there's been plenty of real fires in the past couple
weeks where Shazam has found accelerants. Once the
dog sniffs it out, the accelerant-laced material is sent to
the SBI for analysis.
Arsons aren't uncommon in Winston, says Guffey.
He's seen people set fire to their homes and cars for var
ious reasons, including attempts to get insurance money
and during domestic disputes. There are also those who
get a thrill at seeing things burns.
"With the economy going down hill, we're starting to
see more fraud cases," said Guffey. "As gas prices go up,
you'll see the big SUVs getting burned."
Guffey drives Shazam around in a truck that's special
ly designed for them, complete with a special "back-seat"
for Shazam and compartments for all the equipment
Guffey needs. When off-duty, Shazam goes where Guffy
goes. The dog lounges around Guffey 's office at the
Public Safety Center and goes home with him at night.
Film
from page A 10
behind the acclaimed docu
mentary, "Wordplay," is the
film's director and co-writer.
"Part of RiverRun's mis
sion is to present films that
help provide a perspective
on the world we live in and
the challenges we face," said
RiverRun Executive
Director Andrew Rodgers.
"With the economy on the
top of everyone's minds and
the Presidential contest
reaching a fever pitch, we
thought this was the perfect
time ta bring back one of the
best-received films from our
2008 festival for a free
encore and host an open and
nonpartisan discussion about
fiscal responsibility."
The post film discussion
will be led by Phil Smith, the
national political director for
the nonpartisan Concord
Coalition. He will talk about
fiscal responsibility and the
national debt, and how the
government's actions could
impact our wallets for years
to come.
The next festival will be
Rodgers
held April 22-27, 2009 in
Winston-Salem. Visit
www.riverrunfilm.com for
more information.
Everyone at his office has gotten to love Shazam, but
Guffey says his cat at home is still making the adjustment
to her new housemate.
As part of the agreement with State Farm, Shazan&
will be with the Winston-Salem Fire Department for at
least five years. After that. Shazam is eligible for retire
ment. but for now he seems to be content to serve the
public as long as the dog food keeps coming.
Photo by TuddUi
Matt Guffey
with his
partner in
crime-fight
ing, Shazam.
a black
Labrador
Retriever.
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