"Ashes"

The Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office early this year welcomed the newest member of the Fire and Explosion Investigation Bureau. Two-and-a-half year old “Ashes” joined her owner, Investigator Brian Peterman, as the SFM’s newest accelerant detection canine team.

The beagle lives in Wooster with Peterman, who raised Ashes since she was a pup.  “You look for dogs who are most aggressive in the litter,” said Peterman. “She really stood out from the rest of them. She had a great drive for playing and seeking food. Those are two key things you look for when choosing a detection dog to train.”

Ashes’ training began when she turned one, when Peterman and his dog traveled to the New York Office of Fire Prevention and Control, Academy of Fire Science, near Montour Falls, New York.  “We spent a week there in an intense training program,” said Peterman, “Then when we came back to Ohio, it took a year of training to get Ashes to the point where we could go back to New York for the certification test.”

Ashes is only one of two beagles trained in accelerant detection in the United States, Peterman said. Most dogs used in the field are Labrador Retrievers.

Now that she has joined the Investigation team, Ashes will head to fire scenes with Peterman when needed.
“She’s trained to detect 18 different accelerants,” Peterman said. “Her nose is extremely sensitive to smells. If she detects the presence of flammables that may have been used to start a fire, she gives a signal.”
Ashes is trained on a reward system. She doesn’t eat food out of a bowl, like most dogs. She is worked every day and receives a reward for detecting accelerant.

“This is a great opportunity for our Office,” said State Fire Marshal Robert R. Rielage. “We have only had one accelerant dog on our team, and with Ashes joining us, that gives us an additional tool to cover all 88 counties of the state.”

Ashes will join accelerant detection dog Harvey, who is owned by Investigator Dennis Cummings. Harvey has worked for the State Fire Marshal’s Office for five-and-a-half years.