At just 18 months old, the newest member of the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office is younger than the average trooper – but she’s already got a nose for solving crimes.
That new addition is River, a yellow labrador retriever trained as an accelerant-detection canine through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). With her handler, Trooper James Colella, she’s part of the team that works with local, state, and federal partners to investigate fires when the cause is unknown or suspicious. River is one of more than a dozen dogs on the “fire side,” with an equal number working as explosive-detection K9s with the State Police Statewide Bomb Squad.
“Fire investigation has been a core mission of the State Fire Marshal’s office for more than 130 years,” said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine. “But for all the advances in technology we’ve seen in that time, nothing beats a dedicated trooper and a well-trained K9.”
Following an “imprinting” period in which River was familiarized with gasoline, kerosene, and other ignitable liquids, Trooper Colella and River trained together for 45 days at the ATF’s National Canine Training Center in Front Royal, Virginia. That training enabled River to use her powerful nose to ignore distraction scents, focus on detecting accelerants even in trace amounts, and alert Trooper Colella to what she’s found. River and her canine colleagues’ noses are so powerful that they can sniff out odors at a fire scene even after firefighters pump thousands of gallons of water through it to extinguish the flames.
In recent years, the Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit has expanded its K9 program, training dogs to work alongside State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office – and for local police and fire departments. The most recent graduating class included K9 teams from Falmouth Police, Hudson Police, Springfield Fire & Emergency Services, and UMass Amherst Police in addition to the State Police Bomb Squad and Fire Investigation Unit. ATF-trained dogs have long been part of the team, however, and Trooper Colella is excited to work with his new partner.
“All of these dogs are world-class,” he said. “They’re highly motivated, always ready to work, and extremely capable when it comes to identifying accelerants or explosives.”
As talented as these K9s are in locating evidence, however, their noses aren’t the last word in a criminal investigation. When their dogs alert to a presence of ignitable liquids, Trooper Colella and other fire investigators will identify specific sections of flooring, clothing, debris, and other items for documentation and collection. The Troopers then carefully take samples and transport them to the State Police Crime Laboratory for testing and analysis, which can confirm or exclude the presence of accelerants or explosives for use in court.
River comes on the job as Trooper Colella’s K-9 partner, Fulton, prepares to retire. At nearly 9 years old, Fulton can look forward to a more simple life as a family pet, eating out of a bowl and sleeping through the night without driving to fire scenes at all hours. As for River, she has a long and rewarding career ahead of her – all she has to do is follow her nose.
K9 River is the newest addition to the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office. Fresh from more than six weeks of training at the ATF’s National Canine Training Center with her handler, Trooper James Colella, she is seen here at the Department of Fire Services’ memorial to accelerant- and explosive-detection K9s.
