BHUBANESWAR: Adding teeth to its search and rescue capabilities, the Odisha Fire and Emergency Service on Saturday inducted 10 dogs into its specialised force.
Seven labrador retrievers and three Belgian shepherd puppies were procured from Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in Rajasthan’s Alwar for the purpose. The canines had been brought in April and were inducted after undergoing training at National Disaster Response Force’s (NDRF) 3rd Battalion in Mundali.
In the last nine months, the dogs received basic training in NDRF’s 3rd Battalion. They will now undergo an advanced rubble pile training for the next three months.
Once fully ready, they will be deployed at fire stations in Koraput, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Berhampur, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Balasore, Angul and Jharsuguda.
During the Bahanaga railway tragedy, rescuers found it very challenging to retrieve the dead bodies from the crash rubble. DG Fire Service Sudhansu Sarangi, who had visited the spot, had subsequently requested the state government to induct a dog squad into Odisha Fire Service and approval was obtained, said sources.
“In case of natural calamities like an earthquake or landslide, these dogs will be of great help to carry out search and rescue operations,” said fire officer-cum-principal of Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Institute (OFDRI) in Naraj, Satyapir Behera.
The dogs will also be engaged in carrying out search and rescue operations in case any building or other structure collapses. Of the 10 canines, six are females and four are males. They all are about one-year-old. The construction of the barracks at their places of posting is almost complete, said sources.
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, snow or collapsed buildings. Common dog breeds used for search-and-rescue work include German shepherd, labrador retriever and golden retriever.