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MARK9 would like to extend a
special thank-you to the following Massachusetts corporations and businesses for
their generosity and for their great public spirit in dedicating time and
resources to MARK9/FEMA MA TF 1 canine teams:
 
THANK YOU, BROX INDUSTRIES, INC.
, for opening up your active sand and gravel facility and allowing us to train
on your rubble piles. Click here to visit the website for Brox
Industries, Inc.
THANK YOU, ESPECIALLY FOR PETS, INC., for
offering to sponsor a future fund-raiser for us which will allow MARK9 canine handlers to
attend various educational seminars throughout the coming year. Click
here to visit the website for Especially
for Pets, Inc.
THANK YOU, HIGHLAND ANIMAL HOSPITAL, Dr.
Elizabeth Sheperd, Dr. Jeffrey Giles and the rest of the Hospital Staff, for
sponsoring K9 Bacco and taking such wonderful care of many of our animals throughout
the year.
THANK YOU, TOWN
OF NEEDHAM, for
allowing us to build a rubble pile at the Needham Transfer Station so that our
dogs may have another training facility in which to perfect their search
skills.
We could not do what we do
without your support. THANK
YOU!
 Especially
for Pets is a full-service, neighborhood pet supply house offering pet lovers
everything they need to care for their pets. Please support their
support of volunteer organizations by visiting Especially for Pets at any of
its several locations in Newton, Acton, Sudbury and Wayland!
A DESCRIPTION OF WHY SPONSORSHIP IS IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESS OF
MARK9'S CANINE
TEAMS
Wilderness
training is performed regularly in the many state parks located throughout the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Urban
disaster training is conducted at FEMA MA TF 1's technical training facility
located in Beverly, Massachusetts. In
addition, several local businesses over the years have allowed access to their
facilities for search dog training. This
allows the canines to be challenged by new and different surroundings, which is
a significant benefit in the overall preparation of qualified search dog teams. Brox Industries, Inc. permits
search dog teams affiliated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency
("FEMA"), Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, Beverly MA-01
("FEMA MA-TF 1") to use its rubble piles for the purpose of training.
We would like to take the opportunity to thank Brox
Industries for its generosity and public spirit. FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Task Force has been a major search and
rescue resource in our country for many years. Search dog teams sponsored by
FEMA have responded to many of the recent national disasters including
Hurricanes Andrew and Hugo, the San Bernardino earthquake and the Oklahoma City
and World Trade Center bombings. Dogs capable of working in the chaos and
confusion of these types of major incidents require a great deal of training.
While some of the training can be done in the relative solitude of one's
backyard or other dog-oriented training centers, disaster dog training by
necessity requires the dog to become familiar with the environmental features it
will likely encounter in an actual emergency situation -- dusty, wobbly and
uneven footing; broken, ragged concrete blocks and rebar; and tunnels and
caverns formed from collapsed building materials. Not only must a disaster dog
feel comfortable running around on top of rubble piles (and be willing to follow
human scent into the pile if necessary), a disaster dog must not be distracted
by the noise of heavy equipment and must learn to ignore the presence of rescue
personnel who may be attempting to extricate trapped victims. The bustle and commotion generally associated with an active sand and
gravel facility makes it the perfect venue for training disaster dogs. The
rubble piles provide the dog with experience on unpleasant footing and helps the
dog develop spatial acuity. Training during working hours exposes the dog to
unfamiliar workers and heavy equipment which mimic an actual rescue event. FEMA
search dog teams in California regularly train at local sand and gravel
facilities, including the Philadelphia Gravel Company located in Ontario,
California.
The bottom line in disaster work is that a search dog that will not locate
human scent because it is concerned with its safety is useless. As disaster dogs
do not become comfortable on rubble piles without "paws-on"
experience, the opportunity to train at Brox Industries' various rubble piles is
invaluable in helping to train qualified disaster dogs.
FEMA MA-TF 1 and MARK9 therefore applauds the
willingness of Brox Industries
to permit FEMA search dog teams access to its facilities for authorized search
dog training during off-shift hours. In so doing, Brox Industries is providing a
great public service by helping to develop a valuable emergency resource should
the need for FEMA search dog services ever arise.
Other
local businesses which have contributed materials or training opportunities over the years that have aided
in the training of search dog teams include:
-
Massachusetts
Water Resource Authority
-
Bardon
Trimount, Inc.
-
Testa
Construction Company
-
Weston
Tennis & Racket Club, Inc.
If
your business or company is able to support our efforts, please contact MARK9 by
email
at:
mole@morris.net
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