Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service's fire investigation dog handler, Kerry Burns, is pictured above with fire investigation dog Barney, who has qualified for Crufts 2008.

Click on the pictures in our Kerry and Barney gallery below for larger versions.

14 November 2007

Our fire investigation dog Barney has qualified for the world-famous dog show Crufts following obedience trials in London with his handler Kerry Burns.

Barney - an energetic and enthusiastic black collie cross with a white chest and white feet - helps investigate fires which are believed to have been started deliberately. He has been trained to sniff out anything that an arsonist might use to start a fire, such as petrol or lighter fluid.

Kerry, who picked him up as a puppy from South Bucks RSPCA in 2002, said: "I'm so delighted - it's a massive achievement for him. Who would ever have thought that he would go on to do this?"

Kerry and Barney joined Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service's fire investigation team in December 2006. Dogs have a superior sense of smell to humans and can detect the presence of flammable fuels with greater sensitivity and accuracy than electronic equipment.

They can also search a large area quickly and efficiently without disturbing other important evidence, and reduce both the time an investigator spends on excavating and sampling fire debris and the number of samples required for expensive forensic testing.

The scene of a fire can be a dangerous place even when the fire has been put out, so Barney wears special boots to protect his feet when he's working, and a reflective harness and line.

The boots protect his paws from being cut by sharp things including nails, wood and broken glass, while the harness has three main uses - it tells him that he is working, helps Kerry keep track of him and allows her to attach a search line to make sure he is safe and can be stopped from going into areas that are too dangerous.

Barney is also used to search an area after an arsonist has left the scene. If the arsonist has left some evidence behind – such as a petrol can in a bush – Barney will find it and police can then fingerprint it for DNA.

He can also search the homes, vehicles and clothing of suspected arsonists.

When Barney picks up the vapour given off by a suspicious substance, he indicates its location by pointing at the source with his nose. Kerry then rewards him for a successful find, and a sample is taken away for forensic laboratory examination.

Barney’s success is down to a combination of highly skilled training and the respect, trust and bonding that he and Kerry have built up.

Barney lives at home with Kerry, who is a member of Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service's community safety team, and her partner Bryan Tomes, who is a firefighter at Great Missenden Fire Station. When Barney retires he will remain with them for the rest of his natural life.                            

Kerry drives Barney to incidents throughout Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes in a specially adapted vehicle. Barney’s call sign – the code name by which he is known within Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service – is Kilo 9, or K9 for short.

He is sponsored by Reading-based Aquadoggies, a hydrotherapy pool for dogs. Owners Andrew and Carol Dicker are supplying Barney’s food.

Crufts takes place from 6 to 9 March 2008 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.