Two accelerant detection canines (better known as arson dogs) will demonstrate their skills at sniffing out ignitable liquids used in arson fires 10 a.m. this Friday (November 21st) to first grade students at the Franklin Elementary School, 13465 Franklin Boulevard in Lakewood. Director of Commerce Donna Owens will speak to children about the dangers of fire and arson followed by a demonstration by Commerce's arson dogs.

During the demonstration, Dennis Cummings, an arson investigator for the Division of State Fire Marshal, will lead the two Labrador retrievers he handles. Investigator Cummings will show how two-year-old Harvey and five-year-old Carla can sniff out ignitable liquids used in arson fires.

Due to their scent discriminating abilities, these dogs have been trained to sniff out ignitable liquid accelerants used to start arson fires. When one of the dogs locates an ignitable liquid's presence at the fire scene, Investigator Cummings rewards them with food.

The first grade students at Franklin Elementary recently learned about the five senses in class. Director Owens will explain to them that dogs can smell and sense things undetectable to humans. Canines have 220 million scent receptors in their noses while humans only have five million. As a result of their heightened senses, arson dogs prove vital to many arson investigations in the State of Ohio.

The dogs enhance law enforcement's ability to prosecute arsonists by saving arson investigators time by pinpointing ignitable liquids at a fire scene and providing more accurate samples for laboratory analysis.

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The Division of State Fire Marshal is a part of the Ohio Department of Commerce. The Fire Marshal’s Office trains firefighters, enforces the Ohio Fire Code, investigates the cause and origins of fires and explosions, provides fire prevention programs, and performs other services. Other Commerce divisions enforce regulations regarding industrial compliance, financial institutions, real estate, auctioneers, and unclaimed funds, among others. The former Department of Liquor Control joined the Department on July 1, 1997 as the Division of Liquor Control. The department's internet address is www.state.oh.us/commerce