California Task Force 8 Canine Search and Rescue Teams

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Last Spring four new search dogs and their firefighter handlers graduated from the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation's training and became a part of California Task Force 8 (CA-TF8) in San Diego County, California.

Search Dog Training

For several months before their graduation, the teams trained frequently both at home and with other canine teams across California.  According to Firefighter/Paramedic Brent Brainard of San Diego Fire-Rescue and California Task Force 8, he and his dog Fletch, along with the other three new search dog teams, would travel to Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange Counties to train with their Task Force Search Dog teams.  The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation also provided training opportunities for the group.

The training the teams were exposed to gave the dogs and their handlers all of the basic skills necessary for a search and rescue canine team, and upon graduation they received their official Search Dog vests.  The next step in the process is FEMA Certification, which can involve up to a year and a half of additional training, which gives them the advanced skills they need to perform more complex search and rescue operations. 

Fletch

Each of the dogs selected by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation for training must exhibit an intense toy drive.  Firefighter Brainard's dog, Fletch, had such an intense toy drive that when he was tested by the Foundation, he wrapped all four paws around a tree and climbed it to get the toy.

Martini

Martini, San Diego Fire-Rescue Engineer Aide Barbat's partner, was a hero before coming to the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation's program.  When he was only nine months old he barked intensely to alert the residents of an apartment complex to an early morning fire when the building's fire alarms failed to activate.  Barbat says that Martini is highly intelligent, joking, "He is extremely smart and way too smart for me.  He always reminds me how dumb I can be."

Life Changes for Search Dog Handlers

Barbat also says that becoming a search dog handler has been life-changing, an experience common to all first responders who choose to become part of a canine search and rescue team.  He says, "It definitely changed my life 360.  It's just constantly we're training all the time.  I have to add an hour to my schedule in the morning to get up to go to work, a couple of hours at work just training and taking care of him.  Same with home life and kind of putting stuff aside at home."

According to La Mesa Firefighter, Matt Kirk, the personal sacrifices he has had to make to be a part of CA-TF8's search dog program have been worthwhile.  Since being partnered with his dog Stella, he says, "The amount of time I used to have for travel, just trying to have fun, it's all pretty much gone away since we're trying to train her and get her up to speed.  But it is great!  It is all worth it."

Bella

The fourth members of the CA-TF8 team, Lakeside Fire Protection District Engineer/Paramedic Richard Smith and Bella, were the last of the group to be partnered, and Bella was trained differently than the other three teams initially.  Smith explains, "She came in about two months behind the rest of the dogs, so to bring her up to speed as far as her skill level they just decided it was better to hold her back and let the trainers handle the training than send her home and make a mess out of the situation." 

FEMA Certification

All four search dog teams have progressed excellently in the past year, and of the four, Firefighter/Paramedic Brent Brainard and Fletch as well as Firefighter Matt Kirk and Stella, have recently received their FEMA Certification.  According to California Task Force 8 Chief Doug Nakama, Engineer/Paramedic Smith and Bella will most likely become certified by the end of this summer.  California Task Force 8 currently has a total of eight canine search and rescue teams.

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