Criminal fire detectors are rare in Canada

A dozen dogs specializing in criminal fires accompany firefighters, police and investigators across Canada. New Brunswick is avant-garde in this area, since almost half of these four-legged “agents” work in this maritime province. In Quebec, votes are rising to increase their number to better detect criminal and suspect braids, which sometimes remain unpunished.

In Miramichi, in northern New Brunswick, the dog Maureen and his master Brian Brown Regularly visit a training station for firefighters and investigators.

For more than three years, this Labrador has been mainly task of detecting the presence of accelerages in fire rubble.

When there is a suspicious fire, we bring the canine to [détecter] Accelerating sources that are not natural. If Maureen gives me good indications, we give him food, explain Brian Brown.

On the ground, these dogs sit or lie on the ground when they find an accelerating substance, for example petrol, diesel, heating oil or paint solvents.

To make sure that Maureen is on the right track, [j’indique au chien] to check another target. If he does not move, I put a yellow marker to indicate the sampling link. Dogs used to have 200 to 300 million receivers in their noses, to sniffindicates Mr. Brown.

Samples are put in cans to be analyzed in the laboratory. Subsequently, it is up to the investigators and the police to determine whether the presence of accelerating contributed to a criminal fireargues the master of Maureen.

Dogs have no interest in the results of the survey. They are not going to lie. They just want to work.

The dog faster that the machine

Our four acceleration detectors dogs are hundreds, even thousands of times more effective than other means [pour déterminer si un incendie est criminel]immediately launches the provost of New Brunswick fires, Michael Lewis.

According to him, the task of the fire investigators would grow greatly without the help of the canines.

It could take days or weeks to find and identify the acceleration of fire. While with dogs, it takes [en moyenne] Five minutes. We do not yet have a machine that works as well as dogs.

On average, the four Neo-Brunswickois dogs-including Maureen – Check 200 suspect fire sites per year.

Definitely that New Brunswick stands out compared to other Canadian provinces, although we have a smaller population. We are the strongest of programs in the countrysays Mr. Lewis.

A glaring lack in Quebec?

Michel Richer is one of the few masters of a dog detector of accelerating in Quebec. He works privately and often offers his expertise in Ontario. Organizations, including the Association of Fire and Civil Security Managers in Quebec, describe it as a pioneer of the domain.

My clients consist of police services and insurance companies. I accompany them with investigators. I also trained the first dogs in France and Belgiumhe sums up.

The latter believes to have a single colleague through the Belle Province, who works for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).

We are not enough. We are ten in Canada, while there are about 300 in the United States. It is a question of belief. It is to believe in the use of these dogs for a fire scenehe says.

Michel Richer was previously investigating and director of the Sherbrooke fire service. He remembers the era at which he proposed to have a dog detector for this municipality of Estrie.

After the dog arrived in Sherbrooke, when we started advertising on the animal, criminal fire rates had decreased by more than 50 %. These dogs are also a beautiful prevention toolhe says.

The fire in Old Montreal

He also said he helped the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) in 2023 during the fire that was greatly publicized across the country. Michel Richer went there, with his dog, after the fire destroyed a large part of a heritage building in Old Montreal located near the Pointe-à-Callière museum, killing seven people in addition to injuring nine others.

My dog brought us in places, in the building, with a presence of accelerations. Thereafter, it came to multiply the actions that the investigators must do to be able to try to find the culprit. Sometimes these dogs allow you to close doors [plus rapidement] in the investigation processhe argues.

These dogs help reduce criminal fires. They also help reduce our home insurance bills. I want to see more of these dogs in Quebec, Ontario and other provinces. It’s a will [politique].

With the few detector dogs in Canada, this expert is of the opinion that many crimes related to fires remain unpunished.

A dog complementary for the SQ

For its part, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) confirms having only one dog formed for the detection of accelerating, but considers that this animal is complementary in his criminal fire struggle.

Fire scenes technicians are also working on criminal fire surveys. The latter are able to carry out specialized surveys in this area. The work of a dog handler specializing in accelerating detection is complementary to that of the fire techniciandeclares in writing the SQ.

Provincial police, however, indicate that they want to multiply their canine specialists in fires.

The intention of SQ is to train other dogs specializing in this area. There SQ Works on the training and specialization of its teams in the field in order to accomplish its mission. The training of a dog handler and a dog in a specific area requires several months specifies the SQ.

New Brunswick at La Récousse

The provost of New Brunswick fires is well aware that the needs are great across the country to detect criminal braids. Michael Lewis It is also proud that his service has already helped, in the past, Nunavut and Nova Scotia.

[Aux alentours de 2014]we sent a dog to Iqaluit at the request of the GRC. Then in 2023, a dog was sent to Halifax for forest fireshe said.

He says he is ready to help, again, other provinces and territories for their investigations on criminal fires. He also hopes that his colleagues, from one ocean to another, follow suit.

We are very proud to have four canine teams. We support all the provinces that want to reply our systemsupports the Prévot Michael Lewis.

As of Brian Brownwho is 54 years old, he plans to work with dog acceleration dogs for many years. He also has a tattoo that represents Maureen And says he is ready to add others to his body, when he works with other canines.

I did this tattoo during our first year together. Accelerating dogs are great to detect criminal fire caseshe concludes.