Arson Task Force Rolls Out New Heat Detection Vehicle

Santa Barbara County’s Arson Task Force has a new piece of equipment.
It is a resource that fire crews and their 4-legged partners can rely on.

The new vehicle has many special features but the most important is the heat detection system.
It helps protect dogs that sit for hours in hot cars while their handlers investigate fires.
Once the vehicle sensors hit a certain temperature, an alarm goes off, windows go down, the air conditioner turns on and the handler is paged. At that cue, the handler is alerted to check on the safety of the dog.

Funding for the specially designed vehicle came from an anonymous donor through the Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance. Training for dog, Riley, and his handler was funded by State Farm insurance.