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The newest recruit to Norfolk County Council's Fire and Rescue Service will take his official bow this week before starting months of rigourous training.
Hooky the labrador is the first search dog for Norfolk's Fire and Rescue Service, and the most recent arrival to the service's Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR). A small turn at the end of his tail earned Hooky his name.
The 10-month-old black labrador's main job will be to locate people trapped in collapsed buildings and to assist with other rescue work. He joins an elite canine squad of dogs among England's fire services and will receive specialist training over the next 18 months to two years to develop his acute sniffing skills. He will also be kitted out with protective boots and jackets.
Tim Lewis, USAR Station Manager, said: "We are delighted to welcome our new recruit. Hooky is the final member and completes our team. His job will be hugely important as he will search for casualties and will be deployed to various incidents including building collapses and searches for missing people.
"What Hooky is not is a fire service 'sniffer' dog. Some dogs are trained to help investigate fires by detecting accelerant, Hooky's job is very different although equally as skilled."
Hooky's handler is Steve Polley who is looking forward to the challenges ahead.
Steve said: "It is obviously important that Hooky and I build up a close understanding over the coming months to enable us to work as a team. He is already proving a real hit with people and it is now that the hard work begins for both of us."
Norfolk's USAR team was established in 2006 as part of the government's national response to the September 11 attacks in New York. The team is trained in specialist rescue such as locating and rescuing casualties from a range of incidents including building collapses and major transport incidents.
As well as having a national remit which means it can respond to an incident anywhere in England within two hours, USAR also compliments and supports the existing fire and rescue service in Norfolk. The team has already been deployed on numerous 'shouts' , where buildings have needed stabilising for example.
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