Statewide — The Office of the State Fire Marshal is proud to announce the integration of two new Accelerant Canine teams among the agency’s ranks.
A graduation ceremony at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – National Canine Division, located in Front Royal, Virginia, was the setting for both handlers and their canine partners to graduate after a six-week rigorous training course. Today, certificates were provided to the eleven handlers prior to returning to their respective agencies throughout the nation.
Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal John Nelson w/ Canine ‘Zorro’ and Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Melissa Decker w/ Canine ‘Sky’ have headed back to their southern Maryland regional office in Prince Frederick, Calvert County to become part of the duty rotation. Upon request, Accelerant Canine Teams will respond anywhere in the State and occasionally out of state, to assist fire investigators at fire incident scenes. Canines are exceptional at locating accelerants with their acute sense of smell.
