Lincoln Fire and Rescue gets new search and rescue dog

LINCOLN - Lincoln Fire and Rescue has a new search and rescue dog on its team.

The dog will also be used as a part of Nebraska Task Force One and trained to search for people after a natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes.

Firefighter and veteran dog handler Damon Wirth said the dogs are picked by the Natural Disaster Service Dog Foundation.

"They go around shelters and find dogs that are given up and give them a purpose; give them a job," Wirth said.

The team's new dog, Koa, recently passed its initial training period. During its training, its taught to do several things to help people after a natural disaster.

"These are dogs that are going to come and find you if you're unresponsive," Wirth said.

In his ninth year of work, Wirth said he loves to see the dogs work in action.

He said, " It's so awesome to watch the dogs do what they're trained to do."

The team currently has a search and rescue dog named George. He is expected to retire once Koa is certified.

The team expects this to happen by April.