While human responders are essential in emergency situations, we often overlook the incredible contributions of their four-legged partners. Animal-based search and support teams play a crucial role in enhancing emergency response, offering unique skills that can make the difference between life and death.
Beyond the Badge: The Roles of Animals in Emergency Response:
Animals are deployed in a variety of support roles, each leveraging their unique abilities:
Search and Rescue Dogs (SAR Dogs): Perhaps the most well-known, SAR dogs possess an extraordinary sense of smell, allowing them to detect human scent over long distances and in challenging terrains. They are trained in various disciplines, including:
Air Scenting: Searching large areas for any human scent carried on the wind.
Trailing/Tracking: Following a specific person's scent along a trail.
Cadaver Search: Locating deceased individuals.
Disaster Relief Support Animals: These animals, often dogs, provide comfort and emotional support to victims and responders during traumatic events. Their presence can help reduce stress, anxiety, and PTSD.
Equine Search and Rescue: Horses and mules can navigate difficult terrain inaccessible to vehicles, making them invaluable in wilderness searches or disaster relief efforts in remote areas.
Specialised Detection Dogs: These dogs are trained to detect specific substances, such as explosives, narcotics, or even accelerants in fire investigations.
The Advantages of Animal-Based Support:
Animals offer distinct advantages in emergency situations:
Enhanced Sensory Capabilities: Their heightened senses of smell, hearing, and sometimes even touch allow them to detect things that humans cannot.
Access to Difficult Terrain: Animals can navigate challenging environments like dense forests, rubble piles, or swift water more easily than humans or vehicles.
Speed and Efficiency: SAR dogs can cover large areas much faster than human searchers, significantly reducing search times.
Emotional Support: The presence of animals can provide comfort and reduce stress for victims and responders alike.
Working in Tandem with Human Responders:
Animal-based search and support teams always work in close coordination with human responders, such as police, firefighters, and paramedics. The animals are part of a larger team, and their handlers are highly trained professionals who understand how to effectively deploy their animal partners.
A Vital Partnership:
Animal-based search and support teams are an invaluable asset to emergency response efforts. They provide unique skills and support that enhance the effectiveness of human responders, ultimately contributing to saving lives and providing comfort during times of crisis. They are a testament to the powerful bond between humans and animals and their ability to work together to overcome adversity.
This is why we want to look after animals, to support and find them when they go missing. They support people to no end, whether that be search and rescue, detection of anxiety, epilepsy, cancer & more. They are by our sides, always.