DFES USAR CANINE UNIT

Applications close: C.O.B Friday 27th March 2015

Expressions of Interest

Expressions of interest are sought from people who wish to volunteer their time to join the Urban Search and Rescue Canine Unit. We are looking to fill a number of volunteer roles, each role having different requirements and required level of commitment. The Unit is based at The Western Australia Fire & Emergency Services Academy at Forrestfield, where we have our equipment cache and access to purpose built USAR training facilities. We are part of the State Wide Operations Response Division (SWORD).

The USAR Canine Unit exists to develop and maintain operational canine teams to support the USAR Task Force in response to natural and manmade disasters. The Task Force deploys in response to such things as earthquakes, cyclones and terrorist attacks and major bushfires, deployment is normally intrastate, but if additional assistance is required they will also deploy interstate and internationally. The canine teams are the primary means of locating unconscious victims potentially buried below the surface.

Basic Training – The Bark Box

DFES USAR CANINE UNIT

Applications close: C.O.B Friday 27th March 2015

USAR Canine Unit Roles & Requirements

Role Requirement

Canine Hander Required to have or obtain a suitable working canine

Daily canine training at home for first 12 to 18 months Weekly formal training with other team members Quarterly training with USAR taskforce Annual training with USAR taskforce – 24 to 72 hour

exercise, location and times vary As you progress, you must be willing to assist in training,

including presentation of classroom sessions Once qualified work towards becoming an assessor

Canine Trainer No canine required

Attend the weekly formal training sessions to assist handlers with any training issues

Deliver classroom training sessions as per the training standards

Support Training No canine required

Attend as many weekly formal training sessions as you can, we would prefer to see you most weeks, but we will be flexible

Help prepare hides and training equipment Act as a casualty for canine searches in various locations,

including below ground and in confined spaces Canine understanding and empathy Ability build play drive in young canines and puppies

Support Assessments No canine required

Attendance two or three times a year Willingness and ability to climb into confined spaces Take part in assessments as casualties, assist in hide

preparation

Support Admin No canine required

We will soon become an independent unit so will need people to fill other roles such as: Secretary Treasurer Team leads, the leadership roles will be drawn from current

or future unit members

DFES USAR CANINE UNIT

Applications close: C.O.B Friday 27th March 2015

USAR Canine Handler

USAR canines are trained to find live casualties in a wide variety of circumstances including: collapsed structures, empty buildings, as well as vehicular accidents such as train or plane crashes. The handler and canine will become familiar with rubble piles, aircraft, working at heights, crowd work, marine travel and various other areas, qualified canines will progress to become DAD qualified to allow passage on public transport including airlines.

To become operational as a DFES USAR Canine Handler you will be assessed according to the Australian USAR Canine Best Practice Guideline, which is endorsed nationally and is internationally recognised. The Canine Best Practice Guideline is divided into three levels; Foundation Skills (FSA), Basic and Advanced. These assessments include:

Aggression Testing – Canine and human. Obedience – Heelwork, down stay, direction & control and emergency stop. Welfare Check – Handler to check canine’s physical condition under vet

observation. Bark Alert – Focus bark indicating live human scent. Agility – Various obstacles such as ladders, tunnels and planks. Rubble Piles – Searches to find concealed casualties.

USAR canine training is demanding, expensive and technical. Successful applicants will be expected to maintain skills, availability and commitment to the DFES USAR Task Force in the medium to long term. Only applicants willing to maintain such a commitment should apply. Applicants must be able to meet deployment requirements for exercises and incidents at short notice. These deployments may require extended periods of around 7 days away from your family. Applicants should discuss these requirements with their families.

Hidden Casualty – Find wins a play this time

DFES USAR CANINE UNIT

Applications close: C.O.B Friday 27th March 2015

Required attributes are: Must meet requirements of DFES Unit such as police clearance, medical, with 3 to

6 months probationary period. This is a Metro based Unit so only people residing in a Metro location will be

considered for any of these roles. Handlers must be willing to commit to a weekly training schedule in negotiation

with the Canine Liaison Officer - CLO. (Time frame to be ready for FSA is on average 18 months).

Must not exhibit a phobia of confined space or heights. Must be a team member. Once qualified and accepted to become a member of the Task Force, must be

willing to deploy to disaster sites intra and interstate and live in camp like conditions as required. Ideally be willing to deploy internationally, this is a personal choice and will not affect your application.

Must be willing to perform non-canine handling tasks, in support of the USAR Task Force at exercises and operational incidents.

Prior to certification, handlers must be willing to bear all costs of owning and housing the canine. After certification the handler will receive full PPE (handler and canine), travel crates, limited upkeep costs of canine, limited vet coverage and DFES backed insurance.

To have (or be prepared to get) your own canine, under 4 years old. The canine must have a high play drive, be very agile, and be non-aggressive. The canine will be continually assessed to ensure they will make the grade. If the canine is found to be unsuitable the handler may opt to get another canine or stay and assist the unit in another role.

Trial Period: When an application is accepted, the applicant will be required to undergo a trial period of 3 to 6 months upon CLO discretion. During the trial period the applicant will be required to attend regular USAR K9 training and become familiar with the K9 Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) to also meet required training milestones as laid out in the training guidelines. Applications will be successful at the discretion of DFES Rescue Manager Jon Broomhall and CLO Mike Smale.

This casualty is not coming out to play so handler rewards

DFES USAR CANINE UNIT

Applications close: C.O.B Friday 27th March 2015

Application Requirements (all roles) Any queries about this position, contact Canine Liaison Officer (CLO) Mike Smale on: 0428 102 114 or mike.smale@dfes.wa.gov.au

All applications must complete the expression of interest form, canine handlers and trainers are expected to write two pages detailing experiences and what makes you suitable for the role, all other roles can submit a one page summary of this information.

Once nominations are received candidates will be invited to an open day on 19th April. This will be an opportunity to meet us and see what we do, observe operational canines in action, ask questions and to take part in some confined space and raised level activities – all potential handlers will be expected to take part in this and everyone is welcome to give it a try. During the open day we will determine whom to invite on to the next stage.

Following the open day there will be two weekends of classroom theory to start everyone off on the same page, these sessions are for all roles and will be held on the weekends of 06/07 June and 13/14 June.

Only people living in the Metro area will be considered for these voluntary roles.

Somewhere for the canines to rest when not working

DFES USAR CANINE UNIT

Applications close: C.O.B Friday 27th March 2015

DFES URBAN SEARCH & RESCUE TASK FORCE

CANINE UNIT EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FORM Name:

Residential Address (Metro Only)

Work Phone

Mobile Phone

Home Phone

Email

Any relevant skills, qualifications, and experience in canine handling

Why do you wish to become a member of the USAR Canine Unit, and what pertinent attributes do you bring to the team

Have you discussed the extra requirements with your family? Yes/No

EOI Application for the following role

Canine Handler, Canine Trainer, Support Training, Support Assessments, Support Admin

EOI Canine Handlers

If you have a canine, age, breed, why they would be suitable

If you do not already have a suitable canine are you prepared to get one? Yes/No

Signature

Date

Have you completed and attached your written application? Yes/No

Please mark your application “CONFIDENTIAL – JOB OPPORTUNITY 71/2015” and email to: jobs@dfes.wa.gov.au.