Weee-ooo-wee-ooo a good boy has invaded the Calgary Fire Department (CFD). A pupper named Titus, a 2-year-old American field Labrador knows how to sniff out a crime — arson, to be more specific.He can be a K9 with the best of them, an arson detection dog, and since 1991, the CFD has had an arson detection sniffer — with Titus being the fifth. If you scroll down, you can see the working dog..Titus serves alongside his partner (and handler) Brad Brooks, who's been a firefighter for 18 years."Titus, like our past canines, is trained to detect ignitable fluids," stated Deputy Fire Chief Pete Steenaerts."These all contain higher-carbon, small water-soluble compounds they can leverage long after fire has burned and been extinguished.""These fluids can include but are not limited to things like gasoline, diesel, butane, paint thinner, camp fuel, paint remover, kerosene, and more, all of which Titus is very strong at detecting."."Titus can detect any ignitable liquid — while technology could take hours or even longer — his precise detection helps confirm or rule out accelerant use, which is critical for identifying potential arson, ensuring public safety and supporting our fire investigations team," Steenaerts said.Titus is an exceptional boy, who has "300 million olfactory receptor cells", which "are the scent sensor cells that are able to tell the scents and odors in our environment," states Brooks.That's a real difference compared to humans, who use "about five to six million olfactory receptor cells."Titus started training to be an investigation dog when he was just 8 weeks old, training for a year and a half before starting the job — and of course, keeps up to date with ongoing training.
