SEARCH AND RESCUE TRAINING HELD

On September 20, 2020, local search and rescue members participated in a training held at Mystic Waters. Pictured are Rod Johnson and Jay Prosser, both K9 handlers with the Detectives’ Bureau of the McKean County District Attorney’s Office and members of the McKean County Special Operations Dive Team. The men are pictured with K9 “Izzy.” Other participants in the training included the Limestone Volunteer Fire Department; Cherry Grove Volunteer Fire Department Canine Search and Recovery; other members of the McKean County Special Operations Dive Team and McKean County Emergency Management Services. A diver with the Search and Rescue Team placed an object in the water and the K9s were given the opportunity to locate the object based on scent. Other equipment was tested including an underwater video camera. K9 “Izzy” and other search and rescue dogs working out of the District Attorney’s Office are available to assist law enforcement in McKean County and neighboring counties. They recently assisted on a call for a missing juvenile. Area law enforcement calls in the dogs by contacting the McKean County 911 center who will dispatch Johnson and Prosser with their K9s. The types of calls that would benefit from the K9s are any call in which a person is missing – a missing child; fleeing suspect; missing survivors of a crash; or search for deceased person. Izzy and the other search and rescue dogs rely on scent and are trained in man-trailing and human- remain detection. In addition to “Izzy,” McKean County Search and Rescue dogs are bloodhounds “Dixie” and “Reeba.” The K9 from Cherry Grove Volunteer Fire Department Canine Search and Recovery who participated in today’s training is called in though the Cherry Grove Volunteer Fire Department. The use of K9s by law enforcement continues to expand across the country. The McKean County District Attorney’s Office also works with K9 handlers Bob and Vickie Rinfrette and narcotics-detecting K9 “LG” and explosives-detecting K9 “Nico.” These dogs are often called in to assist officers in searching vehicles and homes, in searching schools and jails for narcotics, and in sweeping public places before large events to ensure no explosives are present. All area K9 handlers are reached through McKean County 911. Each K9 in today’s training detected the object during the training exercise.