 Berkeley, California (Monday, February 21, 2000) – Did you
know that one of the members of the Berkeley Fire Department is a search and rescue dog
named Dylan?
Dylan, a 5-year-old German Shepard Dog whose area
of expertise is disaster search, has been trained to locate live human victims trapped in
collapsed structures due to earthquakes, landslides, explosions, etc. He lives with his
owner, Apparatus Operator Darren Bobrosky, and works out of Station 5 at 2680 Shattuck
Avenue when Darren is on duty.
Dylan is one of only 40 "Fire Dogs" in
California - and one of only 100 in the country - certified in disaster search and rescue.
As a popular member of the Berkeley Fire Department, he trains with the crew at Station 5,
rides on the fire truck, and occasionally goes out on fire calls. Fire Chief Reginald
Garcia considers Dylan to be "a great asset in our earthquake-prone community."
The importance of disaster search dogs came to
the forefront after the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Since
then, detailed standards have been written, and dogs are trained more specifically for
disaster work, with California being on the leading edge of this technology. Dylan has
been trained in obedience, directional control, anti-aggression to humans and animals, as
well as search. He is currently a basic level disaster search dog, certified by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and California's Office of Emergency Services,
and is training towards advanced certification.
Dylan, at 67 pounds, is relatively small for a
male German Shepherd Dog, but his size greatly enhances his agility in difficult rubble
and tight situations. Dylan has an official Fire Department I.D. number and badge and
wears a Berkeley Fire Department Rescue Dog vest when in public.
Dylan and Darren are available for public
appearances and demonstrations at Berkeley schools and neighborhood group meetings.
For more information on Dylan and Darren, please call the Office of Emergency Services at
510-644-8736 ext. 229, TDD 510-644-6915.
|
