Budget Cuts May Force San Bernardino Fire Department To "Fire" Diesel The Arson Dog

In San Bernardino, California, the Redlands Daily Facts reports:

• Looming budget cuts mean that Diesel's job could be on the line. Diesel is the playful "goldador" (a mix of golden retriever and Labrador) the Fire Department sometimes takes to fire scenes to sniff out evidence of possible arson. But Diesel's services may be a bonus that San Bernardino can't afford. A $20 million deficit is forcing all city departments to make cuts; in the Fire Department's case, Fire Chief Michael Conrad said there's not enough money available to keep Diesel in the department.

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• "The program to me is just valuable," [canine fire investigator Michael] Koster said. "We look at people who set fires to structures and use accelerants and they forget we have a dog who can sniff accelerants." Koster said he expects the increasing number of foreclosures will give fire investigators a lot more work to do in the near future. "The arson fires are going to start increasing. It's known," he said.

For more, see Arson dog could lose job (if link expires, try here).

For other stories on fires & foreclosures, go here, go here, go here, and go here. foreclosure arson whale