WHO: The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ (DHSES) Office of Fire Prevention and Control will introduce its newest Disaster Search K-9 Teams that will strengthen the state’s urban search and rescue capabilities.

WHAT: Reporters, photographers, and videographers can watch Black Lab Keila, and Golden Retriever Charlie, and their handlers conduct a demonstration of their life-saving search skills in a mock structural collapse situation. The new teams recently returned from a two-week training program at the Search Dog Foundation’s National Training Center in Santa Paula, Calif., and stand ready to respond to rescue situations that arise anywhere in New York State.

WHEN: Thursday, June 2, 2016, at 11:00 a.m.

WHERE: Northeastern Industrial Park, 2 Van Buren Boulevard, Guilderland Center, N.Y., 12085.

Upon arrival, please drive to the main gate, where you will then be directed to demonstration location.

WHY: The addition of the two new Disaster Search K-9 Teams will strengthen the State’s urban search and rescue capabilities. The two teams join the New York Task Force 2 (NY-TF2) that includes members of state and local emergency response agencies. NY-TF2 provides advanced technical rescue capabilities to incidents involving structural collapse, water rescue, rope rescue, trench rescue and confined space incidents. In life-threatening situations, Disaster Search K-9 teams provide NY-TF2 with an important life-saving search capability to rapidly locate victims and improve the effectiveness of search and rescue operations in a structural collapse or other technical rescue scenario. The new teams join K-9 Dax, and his handler Fire Protection Specialist Greg Gould, and bring NY-TFK’s K-9 component up to three active teams in the state.

About OFPC:

OFPC delivers a wide breadth of services to firefighters, emergency responders, state and local government agencies, public and private colleges, and the citizens of New York. The Office advances public safety through firefighter training, education, fire prevention, investigative, special operations and technical rescue programs. The timely delivery of these essential services enables the Office to make significant contributions to the safety of all of New York State.

About DHSES

The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and its four offices -- Counter Terrorism, Emergency Management, Fire Prevention and Control, and Interoperable and Emergency Communications --  provides leadership, coordination and support for efforts to prevent, protect against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorism and other man-made and natural disasters, threats, fires and other emergencies. For more information, visit the Facebook page, follow @NYSDHSES on Twitter, or visit dhses.ny.gov.

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