DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — The Door County Community Emergency Response Team has welcomed two new recruits, both with paws and a nose for the job.
- The two newest members of the Door County Community Emergency Response Team are K-9s ready to assist in search and rescue efforts
- Bob Simandl with the Gibraltar Fire Department explains the K-9 training process
- A mock exercise showing how the rescue training is carried out with the dogs
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
The Door County Emergency Response Team was formed just last year.
The all-volunteer team focuses on training community members in disaster preparedness, emergency response, and search and rescue.
Bob Simandl with the Gibraltar Fire Department says Shyla and Hannah are now certified trailing dogs—and that dogs of any age can be trained for the job
Simandl says K-9 units with the Emergency Response Team typically train more than 30 hours a month, and it takes about a year to earn full certification.
Training starts with basic ‘puppy runaways,’ where the handler runs off and the dog gives chase.
As the dog progresses, the scenarios become more advanced—eventually requiring the dog to locate the handler using only scent, without ever seeing them.
"When we had Winter Fest, we had somebody run off, and my dog had to go through the crowd to find where that individual was."
The Emergency Response Team encourages anyone interested to get involved and you don’t need a dog to volunteer. There are plenty of other ways to help.
