Essex fire detecting dog earning biscuits with results

A fire detecting dog that has attended more than 200 incidents sniffing out criminality "never ceases to amaze", its handler said.

Six-year-old Fizz works for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and can find pinprick size remnants of accelerants used to cause blazes.

She is one of three such dogs used by crews that have been trained to identify up to 30 flammable substances.

Fizz "certainly earns her biscuits", handler Graham Currie said.

For the past two years she has been sent to the aftermath of fire scenes to find substances in cases initially thought to be accidental, to see if she could trace anything suspicious.

Fire detecting dogs were quicker and more reliable than any machine, Mr Currie said.

He said Fizz had made "a hell of a difference" to the fire service - not just in Essex, but also neighbouring counties where she sometimes gets deployed.

There have been many cases where fires were initially catalogued as accidental before Fizz and her super sniffing powers uncovered the truth.

Mr Currie said: "We've had vehicle fires where she's indicated fuels have been poured over the vehicles. She's then found containers containing the same fuel nearby and investigating officers can then get DNA from that linking them to a suspect.

"The dogs are our biggest tool. Without the dogs, where do we even start looking?

"The best bit of expensive kit, you need to know where to put the nozzle to find it [accelerant] or you never will.

"We had a job and we think Fizz covered an estimated 30,000 sq m (7.4 acres) in two hours. [Without her] that would have been days, with god knows how many personnel."

For Fizz, going to cases was like "playing a game" and "she doesn't realise the importance of what she does", Mr Currie said.

Rick Hylton, Essex fire chief, said Fizz and her furry fire detecting friends were "simply remarkable", as were their handlers.

"Every single time without fail she finds what she needs to find," he said.

Fizz has also been used by the fire service for education in schools and colleges.

Mr Hylton said: "They can demonstrate how easy it is for Fizz to identify accelerants, identify if a fire has been started deliberately.

"We hope that is a deterrent for people who might think of doing it as a bit of fun."

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