Our most important resource - watch as search and rescue dog Merlin joins national canine colleagues to locate casualties - video Dailymotion

Sunderland Echo

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service headquarters has been hosting a national training event for search and rescue dogs and their handlers.

Transcript

00:00Oh

00:30Okay then Steve, how old is Merlin and how long has he been with the fire service?

00:42Merlin is five years old this month and he's been with the fire service since he was about

00:45814.

00:46And we've got a scenario being set up in the background here, so what exactly is going

00:49on here in the background?

00:50And so what sort of task would Merlin be asked to do in his career in the fire service?

01:04Merlin's main role is to look for live sense, missing persons, so it could be a structural

01:08collapse, it could be a major transport incident or it could be a high risk missing person,

01:12for example in a wooded area that's gone missing, so he's looking for live sense.

01:17What sort of exercise are going on today as well as the one we've got in front of us,

01:20what other exercises are going to be taking place?

01:21So today we've got two lifting and moving exercises, so you've got working it tight,

01:25so the handlers are getting rigged into a system with the dogs clipped in and then they're

01:28getting lowered into voids.

01:29So we've got one in the ground floor here, it's getting lowered into the basement.

01:32There's a simulated lift shaft on the second floor getting lowered down into the ground

01:36floor.

01:37Both dogs will be looking for missing persons inside the structures.

01:40And just how valuable resources are these dogs to the fire service in terms of being able

01:44to sniff people out, get into spaces that people couldn't get to, just how valuable resources

01:48are they?

01:49The dogs are absolutely priceless, you'll see behind you there's three shipping containers

01:52laden with kit, and I would say the most important part of all the kit is Merlin, because

01:56if I get immobilised through an incident, Merlin will be the first thing that's across,

02:01for example the collapse building, and what he's looking for, he's looking to indicate

02:04on live sense, so if there's anybody trapped beneath rubble or under a vehicle, Merlin lets us

02:08know where it is.

02:09When the team arrive with the shipping containers, that's when they can get the workers already

02:12identified with the casualties on.

02:13Does he seem to enjoy his work as well?

02:15He loves it, he wants to go now, so.

02:18Keep going.

02:19That'll do you.

02:24Stress is off the dog.

02:26Good boy.

02:29Thanks, mommy.

02:30I'm really happy.

02:32Good boy.

02:34Good boy.

02:35Hello.

02:36What's up?

02:37Hello.

02:38You're welcome.

02:39Hello.

02:40Hello.

02:41Hello.

02:42Hello.

02:43Hello.

02:45Hello.

02:46Hello.

02:47Hello.

02:48Hello.

02:50Hello.

02:51Hello.

02:52We're so glad to be here today.

02:54Hello.

02:55This is my best friend, your head.

Our most important resource - watch as search and rescue dog Merlin joins national canine colleagues to locate casualties

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