Colo. Dept. Has New K-9 For Fire Investigations

Nov. 28, 2012
The Longmont Fire Department's 18-month-old golden retriever and Labrador mix is one of three K-9 arson investigators in the state, dogs that are trained to detect accelerants used to start arson fires.

Nov. 27--LONGMONT -- Meet Holly, the Longmont Fire Department's new arson investigator.

She's energetic, loves her job and has a phenomenal sense of smell.

And she's a fan of a good scratch behind the ears.

The 18-month-old golden retriever and Labrador mix is one of three K-9 arson investigators in the state, dogs that are trained to detect accelerants used to start arson fires.

Her predecessor, Shadow, retired in August. Both dogs live north of Longmont with their handler, Mike Manzo, a firefighter and fire investigator with the Longmont Fire Department.

Manzo spent two years as a secondary handler for the state's first arson-sniffing dog, Sasha, before he got Shadow, a rescued Labrador retriever

from Tampa, Fla., in 2002.

In Shadow's 11-year career, he helped make 168 arson arrests in Colorado and Wyoming. Last year, he and Manzo investigated more than 120 fires.

Ultimately, hip and back pain forced Shadow, who turns 12 in March, into retirement.

"It was time," Manzo said. "He did a good job."

Holly hails from Michigan, where she flunked out of a program that trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities.

"She had a problem sitting still for her training," Manzo explained.

Turns out that energy is a plus when it comes to arson investigation.

"We want them to crawl on things. We want them to work," Manzo said.

In September, Manzo and Holly completed a five-week canine-accelerant-detection school in Maine that State Farm Insurance sponsors. The company funds a national program to train arson-sniffing dogs. Since 1993, the program has placed more than 300 dogs in the U.S. and Canada. Right now, about 85 are active investigators, Manzo said.

A dog's olfactory system, which is a thousand times more sensitive than a human's, can detect traces of flammable liquid accelerants faster than even a mechanical detector.

At fire scenes, arson-sniffing dogs are trained to sit when they smell a flammable liquid, which earns them a reward of kibbles. A sample is then sent to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's crime lab for testing to help law enforcement determine if a fire was set intentionally.

Since she finished training, Holly has investigated 10 fire scenes. All have been accidental.

Manzo brings Holly to work with him at Longmont Fire Station No. 1 for his 48-hour shifts. The city pays Manzo for cases he and Holly investigate in Boulder County, but he volunteers at those outside the county.

Often, when Manzo trains Holly, Shadow gets a turn for old-time's sake. Holly seems to do a little better after watching the veteran, Manzo said.

While they're a decade apart age-wise, the two dogs have similar personalities, Manzo said. They're both outgoing and enjoy the work, which is a huge plus for arson-sniffing pups.

"We like that drive to want to do," Manzo said.

Magdalena Wegrzyn can be reached at 303-684-5274 and [email protected].

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Copyright 2012 - Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo.

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