On May 18 and 19, SDF hosted a two-day intensive workshop at its National Training Center (NTC) for canine disaster search teams of all levels who traveled from all over California, Florida, New York, and Mexico. Using all 125-acres of the NTC, lead instructor Steve Swaney and SDF’s training team, Mandy Tisdale, Emily Hodges, Katie Brennan and Alex Hill guided teams through any issues that came about and gave teams plenty of tools and exercises to take home and continue the training on their own.
Beginning on the first day of training with a deployment simulation – a fictitious earthquake rocking the area – teams were split into four groups and told that the entire campus was searchable space and needed to be covered to ensure no one was left behind. Volunteer “victims” were hidden in all kinds of places, from travel trailer roofs to deep voids in the rubble, challenging every team.
As search teams fanned out across the acreage, our campus came alive with the groups covering every inch. And, when a victim was located, the canyon echoed with the crystal clear bark alerts of search dogs who accomplished their mission and would receive their beloved toys as rewards.
The second day of training, instructors asked each handler what he or she wanted to work on and split into groups to focus on foundation skills and more advanced search work. The group that wanted to take things back to basics worked through an exercise designed by the instructors to elicit a confident, focused bark alert with multiple repetitions and several victims to mimic the routine each team will go through during a deployment. This practice of the basic search work helps strengthen the foundation of each team’s experience and makes them better prepared for when they are called upon to respond to a real disaster.
The group that wanted to work on more advanced search work used Search City, a neighborhood disaster training prop, to search through buildings and on rubble, giving teams a variety of scenarios with both high and diffused hides. These challenging situations mean that not only does a handler have to set each dog up for success by positioning the canine in the right spaces to use its nose, it also means that handlers must trust their dogs, every step of the way. This training not only improves each team’s assessment and execution of search strategy in a mock deployment scenario, it also helps to deepen the all-important bond between dog and handler that will carry them through their career together.
To top off a fantastic weekend of training, teams ended on a fun, high note for the dogs with a search on SDF’s brand new rubble pile that bridges the collapsed freeway prop and train wreck prop, spanning nearly 20,000 square feet of search area. Every dog searched well and was rewarded with tugging on their toy after finding the two victims hidden below the surface, making sure that each dog knew they had completed their objectives.
SDF is thrilled to be able to offer weekend workshops like this to teams from all over the United States every quarter to ensure they can sharpen their skills and share their experiences with others. The NTC will continue to be a home for our country’s search teams as we work to expand the seminars, trainings and workshops we offer, fulfilling our mission of strengthening disaster response in America.
CANINE DISASTER SEARCH TEAMS IN ATTENDANCE:
Brandon Andersen & Winnie (California Task Force 7 – Sacramento)
Jake Armendariz & Clancy (California Task Force 2 – Los Angeles County)
Brandon Budd & Josie (California Task Force 7 – Sacramento)
Travis Calka – Handler Candidate (California Task Force 2 – Los Angeles County)
Gary Durian & Frisco (California Task Force 2 – Los Angeles County)
Josh Flores & Cajun (California Task Force 2 – Los Angeles County)
Vinnie Fuccella & Hank (California Task Force 7 – Sacramento)
Fidel Gomez & Rosie (Baja California Task Force 3 – Tijuana)
Greg Gould & Dax (New York Task Force 2 – Albany)
Marshia Hall & Lilah (Florida Task Force 1 – Miami)
Jeff Ivy & Holly (California Task Force 7 – Sacramento)
Paul Januario & Bear (California Task Force 7 – Sacramento)
Jason Jasgur & Ruffy (California Task Force 1 – Los Angeles)
Adam Leckonby & Luka (New York Task Force 2 – Albany)
Eric Lieuwen & Jake (California Task Force 7 – Sacramento)
Julie Padelford-Jansen & Ricochet (Florida Task Force 2 – Miami)
Brook Rowley & Echo (New York Task Force 2 – Albany)
Mike Toepfer & Deacon (California Task Force 2 – Los Angeles County)
Jason Vasquez & Ripley (California Task Force 2 – Los Angeles County)
