SDF congratulates all the teams from across the country who achieved FEMA Certification this weekend, including SDF-trained teams Roxanne Bauman & Cole, Madison Warner & Tanner (both Utah Task Force 1) and Davis Doty & Jester (California Task Force 5 - Orange County)!
On March 4 and 5, 2017, federal urban search and rescue canine teams from throughout the United States tested in a FEMA Certification Evaluation in Riverside, CA. 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.
Thank you to California Task Force 6 for hosting the evaluation, as well as California Task Force 5 and Utah Task Force 1 for supporting the teams!