In 2005, the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security established three technical rescue task forces to be able to respond to complex emergency incidents such as building collapses or other disasters. Members of these three teams received specialized search and rescue training, and an impressive cache of equipment was purchased to be able to provide this needed resource. Specially trained canines have been utilized by the federal urban search and rescue teams because they have been proven to be faster and more efficient in locating victims of these type of incidents. The cost associated with this resource was beyond the available funding the state had however.
The team has achieved many milestones along the way as well as having trained with some of the most experienced disaster canine handlers in the world. Idaho Disaster Dogs has deployed teams to assist with local, state, tribal and federal responses. Canine teams have participated with a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force as responders and deployed to disasters across the country. All these milestones and experiences have prepared our teams for what they may someday be called to do here at home. The success of Idaho Disaster Dogs has been, in no small part, associated with the continued support of the City of Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and our local community.
