Brownwood Fire Marshal Buddy Preston and his new arson dog Nika will graduate today from the State Farm Arson Dog Program where they have been training over the last four weeks in Maine.

Nika is a 2-year-old female black Labrador Retriever.  She and her handler Preston completed a four week training in Alfred, Maine through Maine Specialty Dogs.

A grant applied for by the City of Brownwood in 2008 allowed Preston to secure an arson dog which will serve Brown County and the surrounding areas.

The program is rigorous on both the dog and the handlers as they go through extensive training before becoming certified.  Arson dogs are trained to sniff out minute traces of accelerants that may have been used to start a fire.  These dogs are part of a team comprised of the K-9 and its handler, which is a law enforcement officer trained to investigate fire scenes.  These teams are trained to investigate the causes of fires and also perform community outreach programs and educational seminars on fire prevention and safety.

Before leaving for the training, Preston expressed how beneficial having an arson dog within the area will be and that such an asset has been needed in the past.

“The Bethel Church fire would have been our third time we could have used an arson dog since the initial application was filed,” Preston said.

Maine Specialty Dogs has been providing accelerant canine training and placement for law enforcement departments since 1996.  Maine Specialty Dogs has trained more than 250 teams in 43 states, three Canadian provinces and the District of Columbia.

Pictured above the new arson dog Nika.