Huw, a two year old chocolate Springador (Labrador/Springer cross) has been trained on K Site of Westcott Venture Park and is part of the Buckinghamshire special fire service Urban Search and Rescue team (USAR).
The USAR programme was established following the 9/11 attack on New York in 2001 to improve the country’s ability to respond to the increased risks posed by terrorism. USAR forms part of the government’s New Dimension programme, which seeks to enhance the capability of the fire and rescue service to respond to a range of major emergencies.
Huw played a key role in Exercise Phoenix which took place last year at Wescott, coordinated by Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service as part of the national (USAR) Programme in order to create a disaster scenario.
Huw has been trained by his handler Watch Commander Alan Still and also lives with Alan and his family at their home in Buckinghamshire. Huw will remain there during his working life of 6 years and continue to live with them when he retires.
After 18 months of training as a live scent detection dog Huw has passed his National Resilience grading with Alan and they are now ready to assist with local and national incidents. Huw’s role is vital and important and will greatly increase the chances of survival of people. Huw has been successfully trained that when in a disaster recovery scenario, he detects the scent given off by live people he informs his handler with a consistent and strong bark to pinpoint the location of the body. This will assist USAR crews in focusing on specific areas of rescue operations.
Alan Still commented: “I am delighted all the training and dedication put into Huw has paid off and he can now start his working life in the USAR dog unit. We have built a close bond throughout the training and it is all the more rewarding as Huw is such an intelligent and outgoing friendly dog to have at work and at home”.
As well as being able to cope with a range of unexpected disruptive events, such as building collapses and natural disasters, the USAR team regularly works alongside firefighters to enhance public safety at incidents in and beyond Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. These include road traffic collisions involving large goods vehicles, farm fires and incidents which leave buildings unstable.
We wish both Huw and Alan and the rest of the working dogs at the unit a successful career ahead.
Huw, a two year old chocolate Springador (Labrador/Springer cross) has been trained on K Site of Westcott Venture Park and is part of the Buckinghamshire special fire service Urban Search and Rescue team (USAR).
The USAR programme was established following the 9/11 attack on New York in 2001 to improve the country’s ability to respond to the increased risks posed by terrorism. USAR forms part of the government’s New Dimension programme, which seeks to enhance the capability of the fire and rescue service to respond to a range of major emergencies.
Huw played a key role in Exercise Phoenix which took place last year at Wescott, coordinated by Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service as part of the national (USAR) Programme in order to create a disaster scenario.
Huw has been trained by his handler Watch Commander Alan Still and also lives with Alan and his family at their home in Buckinghamshire. Huw will remain there during his working life of 6 years and continue to live with them when he retires.
After 18 months of training as a live scent detection dog Huw has passed his National Resilience grading with Alan and they are now ready to assist with local and national incidents. Huw’s role is vital and important and will greatly increase the chances of survival of people. Huw has been successfully trained that when in a disaster recovery scenario, he detects the scent given off by live people he informs his handler with a consistent and strong bark to pinpoint the location of the body. This will assist USAR crews in focusing on specific areas of rescue operations.
Alan Still commented: “I am delighted all the training and dedication put into Huw has paid off and he can now start his working life in the USAR dog unit. We have built a close bond throughout the training and it is all the more rewarding as Huw is such an intelligent and outgoing friendly dog to have at work and at home”.
As well as being able to cope with a range of unexpected disruptive events, such as building collapses and natural disasters, the USAR team regularly works alongside firefighters to enhance public safety at incidents in and beyond Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. These include road traffic collisions involving large goods vehicles, farm fires and incidents which leave buildings unstable.
We wish both Huw and Alan and the rest of the working dogs at the unit a successful career ahead.
