SDF congratulates teams from across the country who achieved FEMA Certification this weekend, including SDF-trained teams Sonja Heritage & Asta (California Task Force 5 - Orange County), Steve MacDonald & Lilly and Andrew Pitcher & Chief (both Nebraska Task Force 1)!
On April 23, 2017, Canine Disaster Search Teams from across the nation participated in a FEMA Certification Evaluation (CE) in Phoenix, AZ. The test marked a Re-Certification for all three SDF-trained teams, keeping them ready for deployment the next time disaster strikes.
To achieve Certification, a canine-handler team has forty minutes to clear two rubble piles of approximately 15,000 square feet a piece, locating the 4-6 victims “trapped” alive within them. This process must be repeated every three years in order to maintain active deployment status. (Read the FEMA definition of a CE here)
Thank you to Arizona Task Force 1 for hosting the evaluation, as well as California Task Force 5 and Nebraska Task Force 1 for supporting the teams!
