STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — An NYPD search-and-rescue dog demonstrated its disaster response skills Tuesday at the city’s Fresh Kills Urban Search and Rescue facility, where teams have been prepared for urban disaster response since 2013.
During the demonstration, ahead of National Dog Day Aug. 26, police officer Kayla Kaiser and her K9 partner, Robot, showcased the dog’s ability to quickly locate people trapped or hidden in disaster scenarios.
In the first exercise, Robot searched nine large cylindrical tubes and found a hidden person in approximately 20 seconds. As a reward for successfully completing the task, he received a toy.
Robot then moved to a larger obstacle course, where he climbed a ladder and descended a ramp in about 20 seconds, demonstrating the agility required to navigate unstable terrain.
In the third exercise, Robot searched for a hidden officer positioned atop one of the facility’s large rubble piles. While concealed roughly 50 feet away, the officer called for help, assisting the dog with the search.
Robot located the officer in about 30 seconds before placing his nose at the bottom of a small opening that contained his chew-toy reward.
Located on the former Fresh Kills Landfill site where debris from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was once buried, the Urban Search and Rescue training site is now one of the few sites in New York City where emergency responders can create realistic disaster scenarios for training…