The Maryland State Fire Marshal has a new K-9 graduate on hand to serve and protect Marylanders.
Meet Blondie and her Master Deptuy Oliver Alkire. The pair just graduated a program at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive National Canine Training Center in Front Royal, Virginia. They are one of only 65 ATF trained accelerant detection teams in the United States.
Normally dogs in the program are younger, just over a year, but Blondie is four. She was initially trained for Guiding Eyes for the Blind before being acquired by the ATF for the accelerant detection canine program.
She was transferred to the Office of the State Fire Marshal after two years with another agency and paired up with Master Deputy Alkire.
The certification program a12-week school focused on accelerant detection canine methodology, fire chemistry, safety and first aid, health, wellness, and several investigative disciplines. The practical skills and team exercises were conducted in and around vehicles, structures, humans, equipment, and fire scenes to hone Blondie's scent discrimination skills.
"I am very proud that the ATF has allowed the Office of the State Fire Marshal to be partners in their Accelerant Detection Canine program for nearly 30 years," stated State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci. "We are dedicated to assisting ATF whenever they call, and this long-standing partnership is proof. We are excited to have K9 Blondie join our family. And she will be in great hands, and Kachina will be an excellent big sister. I am even more proud of our handlers and their families who dedicate themselves to working and training with their canine partners seven days a week, 365 days a year."
Blondie is trained to detect a variety of ignitable liquids that could be used to accelerate a fire and has performed tens of thousands of repetitions for odor recognition and detection during training.
ATF uses a food and praise reward training methodology that exposes canines to six classifications of ignitable liquids. The scientific methodology and testing protocols are certified by the ATF National Laboratory and produce an extremely versatile, mobile, and accurate accelerant detection tool.
Blondie has big shoes to fill. WMAR-2 News was at a special retirement party for K-9 Kachina, in September 2023.
The 10-year-old was the most senior ATF ADC dog in the U.S. She spent the last eight years working with Master Deputy Oliver Alkire in the State Fire Marshall's office.