Des Moines Sun

DES MOINES, IOWA — The Des Moines Fire Department has a new fire investigator on the job sniffing out the source of fires.

After months of training, Yahtzee has started his career with DMFD where he will serve as an arson dog, detecting fire accelerants and helping catch cases of arson.

"Yahtzee is a game-changer for our fire investigation unit,” Des Moines Fire Department Captain Eric Huntoon said. “He’s highly skilled at detecting traces of chemicals that are used to start fires and will help us refine our investigative skills at fire scenes."

Funding for the English Black Lab and his training was provided by State Farm through the State Farm Arson Dog Program which helps detect evidence at the scene of fires and takes the guesswork out of fire investigation.

For the past month, Yahtzee completed training with his handler, Captain Huntoon, before returning to Des Moines earlier this month for his first week of work at DMFD.

“It’s like having a new member of the family,” Huntoon said. “He lives with me, and comes into work every day, so we’ve gotten comfortable with each other quickly. He’s a hard-working dog who loves his training exercises and is going to be a great asset to the Des Moines Fire Department.”

According to the National Fire Protection Association, an estimated 280,000 intentional fires are reported to U.S. fire departments each year, with associated annual losses of 420 civilian deaths, 1,360 civilian injuries, and $1.3 billion in direct property damage. The actual number of arson fires and the amount of property damage is likely much higher, as arson is an underreported crime. Arson dogs played a crucial role in determining the cause of many of these fires.

"We feel law enforcement and fire investigators should have every tool possible to combat this costly -- and sometimes deadly -- crime," said Heather Paul, National Coordinator for the State Farm Arson Dog Program. “These K-9s enable investigators to do their job more efficiently and effectively. The scope of arson goes beyond impacting insurance companies – it affects the personal and financial well-being of us all.  Training dogs to detect accelerants at fire scenes saves time and money in arson investigations.”

State Farm’s Arson Dog program has placed more than 450 dogs across the United States and Canada since its inception in 1993.

Original source can be found here.