Salina ? Early in her training, Ashes, the new arson dog at the Salina Fire Department, was sniffing out smoldering embers in the burn room of the department’s downtown training tower.

After locating a suspicious scent, the black Labrador sat as she had been trained, waiting for fire prevention officer Troy Long to give her further instructions.

As Long surveyed the scene, he could hear Ashes whimper. Long instructed her to point out the exact location of the suspicious material. Ashes put her nose in the spot. Satisfied, Long ordered her to sit again, and once again she whimpered.

Long discovered Ashes had been sitting directly on a hot ember that had become separated from the pile.

Dog dedication

It was then Long knew Ashes would be a dedicated arson dog.

Earlier this year, the 10-month-old Lab was purchased from a trainer at Rivera Police Canines, a Junction City firm. The Salina Fire Department purchased Ashes to sniff out suspicious fire scenes for possible arson origin.

Long said certain breeds of dogs, such as Labradors, have the kind of drive and energy that makes them effective at sniffing out evidence.

“You’re looking for the kind of dog that if you roll a ball, he’s knocking everyone over to get it,” he said.

Ashes began training at 11 weeks old and already has 120 hours of training time recorded, Long said.

Every two weeks, Long and Ashes travel to Junction City to show the professional trainer at Rivera what arson training exercises they have been working on and to receive instructions for the next two weeks.

Exercises have included sniffing buckets that contain items such as burnt plastic and carpeting that contain the residue of an accelerant, such as gasoline, that might be used to start a fire.

Just two weeks ago, the dog was certified by Rivera in 14 different odors and accelerants, Long said. In October, Ashes will receive certification from the Heart of America Police Dog Association.

Arson-detecting tools

Ashes’ ability to detect multiple odors makes her a more effective arson-detecting tool than a hydrocarbon detector, a mechanical device used at fire scenes for more than 20 years.

“It was a mechanical sniffer that smelled hydrocarbons,” Long said. “Ashes can differentiate between different hydrocarbons.”

The dog also is being trained in evidence location, Long said. “Arson is hard to prove, so the more evidence you have, the easier it is to prove,” he said.

Ashes is trained to give a passive alert after finding a suspicious scent or item, as opposed to a police dog, which might dig at the scene and become more aggressive, Long said.

“You don’t want her to dig because a fire scene could have glass in it — or hot embers,” Long said. “She even has boots she wears at a fire scene to protect her feet.”

Ashes is led around the scene of the fire by a handler, sniffing until she locates the suspicious area.

Evidence is gathered and sent to a Kansas Bureau of Investigation lab, where the exact cause of the fire will be determined.

Ashes already has been used during one investigation of a suspicious fire in Salina, where she made two positive indications of arson activity, Long said.

“It’s nice to see eight months of training come together,” he said.