BHUBANESWAR: In a first for the state, Odisha Fire and Emergency Service will soon engage 10 dogs in search and rescue operations.
Sources said six Labrador Retriever and four Belgian Shepherds puppies have been procured from Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in Rajasthan’s Alwar for the purpose. Around 10 personnel of Odisha Fire Service have been camping in Alwar for the last two months and receiving training on handling the dogs which are likely to arrive in the state this week in a train.
As of now, dogs of National Disaster Response Force’s (NDRF) 3rd Battalion in Mundali are being engaged in search and rescue operations. The 10 puppies, procured from SSB are three months old and will be imparted training by personnel of NDRF’s 3rd Battalion 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 among other places.
Sources said it is not possible to immediately send the dogs from NDRF Battalion in Mundali to far off places in the state. “The first few hours after a natural calamity are very crucial in carrying out search and rescue operations. The state government wanted to include the dogs in Odisha Fire and Emergency Service,” they said.
DG Fire Services Sudhansu Sarangi confirmed the development and said the dogs will play an important role in the coming days. “In case of natural calamities like an earthquake or landslide, these dogs can help in carrying out search and rescue operations,” he said. The dogs will also be engaged in carrying out search and rescue operations in case any building or other structure collapses.
A search-and-rescue dog is trained to find missing people after a natural or man-made disaster. The dogs 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 German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever.