The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s only hydrocarbon dog is 6 year old Springer Spaniel, Sammy.  When he’s not racing to the scene of a fire, Sammy lives with his handler, Matt, and travels to work in a specially adapted dog van.  It’s interesting to note, that Sammy’s compartment in the van has air conditioning, but Matt’s driving position has not!

Sammy can detect up to 15 different types of hydrocarbon typically used in the setting of a deliberate fire. A dogs sensory organs are forty times greater than that of a human and can discriminate odours at a hundred million times lower than a human making them an ideal partner in the fight against arson.

Sammy has been involved in a number arson arrests, easily identifying when an arsonist started a fire, and also in identifying who the arsonist is when a suspect has been arrested.