6/20/08 Weekly Report: First Arson Canine in the State of Hawai`i Joins Hawai`i Fire Department; Surf Day – Improving Ocean Access for People with Disabilities

The new investigator is accelerant detection canine Kaimi, a one-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever/Golden Retriever mix. He is the first arson canine in the State of Hawai`i.

Kaimi (the Hawaiian word for “Seeker”) and his handler Fire Inspector Robert Perreira recently completed a five week canine-accelerant detection school sponsored by State Farm Insurance® and were certified as a team by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

The investigative duo was introduced at a news conference on June 19 at the County of Hawaii’s conference room, where Kaimi repeatedly demonstrated his skill of choosing the correct canister containing a drop of gasoline.

“He knows his job and he does it well,” Perreira said of his hard-working dog, who stays happily by his handler’s desk when not at work.

Funded by insurer State Farm

The arson canine program is funded by State Farm Insurance Companies® and is available to fire departments and law enforcement agencies across the United States.

Since its beginning in 1993, the program has placed more than 250 dog and handler teams in 43 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces.

The cost to acquire Kaimi and provide training to him and Perreira was approximately $23,000, which State Farm funded.

“The only cost to the County is the dog’s upkeep and ongoing daily canine training,” Perreira said. Kaimi goes home with Perreira every night, and is part of the family.

Arson is one of the most expensive property claims in the United States. In 2006 alone, more than 31,000 fires were intentionally set, causing $755 million in property loss.

Training dogs to detect accelerants at fire scenes saves time and money in arson investigations.

“We want to help support the efforts of fire departments across the state and are very grateful for Inspector Perreira’s and Kaimi’s efforts in being the first in Hawaii to participate in this program,” said State Farm claim manager Wayne Nakamura. “The scope of arson goes beyond impacting insurance companies – it affects the personal and financial well being of us all.”

Until recently, investigators could spend days or weeks sifting through rubble at a scene. Today, with a trained dog, the work can be done in a matter of hours.

The nose knows

“The dog extends the capabilities of the investigator,” said Fire Chief Oliveira. “The scent-discriminating abilities of a canine are better than any equipment we can take to a fire scene when arson is suspected. The canine will lead the investigator to the location of the accelerant, such as gasoline, so the investigator can take a sample to the state’s crime labs in order to prove the use of an accelerant.”

Perreira said Kaimi was able to detect accelerants in four of the first five fires the dog has since he started work on Hawaii Island in May. Those fires were subsequently determined by County fire inspectors to have been “incendiary”, or purposedly set, he said.

Kaimi is a County worker

Inspector Perreira pointed out that while State Farm donated the arson canine and sponsored the training of dog and handler, they don’t work for the insurance company or investigate fires at their request.

The investigations Kaimi and Perreira do are part of their duties in the Hawai`i Fire Department, and they work together with the Hawai`i County Police Department and the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Perreira said.

“I go to work, I love my job,” Perreira said. “I loved my job before but now with Kaimi I love it even more.”

For more information about the Arson Dog Program visit the Web site at www.arsondog.org . For more information, please call Hawai`i County Fire Department at 981-8349.

Location of Project	Council District	Work being done
Laupahoehoe Transfer Station	1	Fence and gate installation, in progress
Puako Transfer Station	9	HI5 glasscrete pad, complete
Hilo Regional Transfer Stations	1,2,3,4,5,6	Sign installations out to bid
Kona Regional Transfer Stations	6,7,8	Sign installations out to bid
Ka`auhuhu Transfer Station	9	Earthquake repairs, contract awarded