WYOMING — On Tuesday, March 9, the State Fire Marshal’s Office announced that Canine Handler Erik Siwik, along with his yellow lab Kyoto, will be graduating from canine training (ATF Accelerant Detection Class #149) on April 26.
According to Department of Fire Prevention/Electrical Safety Inspector Nick Hudson, the training will allow Kyoto to smell combustible and flammable liquids or other products used to accelerate fire growth, which is a way to help determine if the cause of the fire was arson related.
“This lab and Eric are being trained to be part of the fire marshals office team and can be utilized statewide for fire investigations and accelerants detection,” Hudson told Buckrail. “He will be with Eric for his time of his service, and will participate in training every day to keep up his skills. Eric and Kyoto can be requested regionally or nationally through agreements with the ATF (U.S. Government agency that investigates fire and arson).”
The Wyoming State Fire Marshal’s Office is encouraged by the four-week training that Siwik and Kyoto has accomplished to date.
“The training is going great and the weekly evaluations from the instructors and training show that both Siwik and Kyoto are doing very well and work well together,” the State Fire Marshal Byron Mathews said in the statement.
Handler Siwik and Kyoto working a fire scene. Photo Courtesy of the Wyoming State Fire Marshal’s Office
According to the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety, the training so far has taught basic police dog (K9) handling skills, K-9 care and first aid. There have been numerous searches in structures, vehicles, open field and tree line scenarios to master skills.
“Many of the fires are ‘old’ in nature but still very beneficial to us,” Mathews wrote in the announcement. “Meaning they have previously occurred but are kept as a training to ensure that the skills needed are covered before graduation.”
The next few weeks will allow for further fine tuning of Siwik’s and Kyoto’s skills, introduction to the ATF research lab and working with the ATF on the process for a National Response Team call and brief.
The certification process will be covered prior to graduation.
