PICKENS COUNTY FIRE CHIEF'S ASSOCIATION


ARSON DETECTION DOG

The following article appeared in the local newspaper in 1999. Sadly, Smokey has passed away and we no longer have our own arson dog.

Pickens County now has an Arson detection dog named Smokey. Deputy Smokey has a nose for business, the business of sniffing out fires set by arsonists that is. Smokey is the newest member of Pickens County Sheriff's Office, and yes, he is a deputy.

The 14-month old black labrador retreiver has been paired with deputy Jody Cartee and is only the fourth arson dog in the state. Cartee had been on the cause and origin task force, which investigates suspicious fires, for about 2 1/2 years before Smokey became his partner. He admits that he was never a big animal person, but getting the dog still seemed like the natural thing to do because of the great need.

Smokey was provided through a grant from State Farm Insurance Co. Cartee said the cost of training the dog and handler comes to between $10,000 and $12,000, but thanks to the grant, the sheriff's office has obtained Smokey's services for the paltry sum of kibble and veterinarian costs. The school which trained the team, located in Maine, is one of only a handful of schools in the country and Smokey's trainer is known to be top-notch nationwide.

Cartee said he trained with Smokey in Maine every day for four weeks in a class with eight other teams. Cartee and Smokey were together night and day, getting to know each other and learning how to work as a team. Before Cartee's arrival, Smokey received four weeks training in identifying fire accelerants such as gasoline and kerosene.

The above is excerpts from an article by Laura P. Stokes that appeared in The Easley Progress Wednesday October 20, 1999. Photo also by Laura.