New Brunswick gets some “Magic” with its second Arson Dog team

State Farm sponsored program trains fire fighters and their dogs to sniff out arson

Aurora, Ontario.  September 26, 2011.  – The newest member of the Moncton Fire Department has a nose up on arsonists and can sniff out the causes of fires.

This new investigator is accelerant detection K-9, “Magic”. Magic and his handler Captain Charles LeBlanc recently completed the five week canine-accelerant detection school program sponsored by State Farm® and certified by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Charles and Magic join Captain Mark Nowlan and “Mallow”, the Arson Dog team with the Fredericton Fire Department.

The program is funded by State Farm and is available to fire departments and law enforcement agencies across North America. Since 1993, the program has placed more than 250 dogs in three provinces and 43 U.S. states.

In 2009, over 13,000 intentionally set fires were reported in Canada. According to Fire Prevention Canada; fires kill about 8 people every week and result in hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage.

“We want to support the efforts of fire departments across the country to stamp out arson and put criminals behind bars,” says John Bordignon, Media Relations - State Farm Canada. “The scope of arson goes beyond impacting insurance companies, it affects the personal and financial well being of us all. Training dogs like Magic to detect accelerants at fire scenes saves time and money in arson investigations and can help take criminals off our streets.”

“The dog extends the capabilities of the investigator,” explains Eric Arsenault, Chief of the Moncton Fire Department. “The scent-discriminating abilities of a canine are better than any equipment we can take to a fire scene when arson is suspected. Magic will lead Charles to the location of the accelerant, so that he can then take a sample to the crime lab in order to prove arson. Their work is going to help us root out arson and save lives.”

Media Invitation

Please join us as we introduce and welcome Charles and Magic to the Arson Dog team. Mark and Mallow will be in attendance as well.

WHEN:
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 11 a.m.

WHERE:
Botsford Street Fire Station
299 Botsford Street
Moncton, NB
(506) 857-8800

For more information about Sate Farm community safety initiatives and the Arson Dog program go to http://www.statefarm.ca/about/community/safety/, or http://www.arsondog.org/index.asp.

About State Farm®

State Farm has been serving Canadians since 1938. State Farm and its affiliates are the fourth largest auto insurance provider, and the seventh largest property and casualty insurer in Canada. In addition to providing affordable car insurance rates, State Farm has more than 540 Canadian agents and 1300 employees providing insurance and financial services including mutual funds, life insurance, vehicle loans, critical illness, disability, home and auto insurance to our customers in Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick. For more information, please visit statefarm.ca, join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or see us on YouTube.