Scent in a Disaster Scene
I've been asked by a number of people about what scent can do in
a large scale disaster scene. I'm answering based on my and Andy's
experiences, and those of a number of our former students. We
haven't worked a scene as large as NYC, but the same principles
apply.
SCENT SATURATION
This will be the biggest problem. If you are working in a depression
of any kind, and have many body parts around, the dog will need time
to get used to the saturation of the area before he can identify any
single pieces. The dog will usually indicate the largest pieces and
may not even indicate on the smallest. Sometimes the saturation may
be so great, that the dog will not be able to indicate where
anything is. On Guam we worked in a mud pit where the plane had gone
in. There was a stream in the area, so it was wet, gooey mud. We
could smell the jet fuel and decomposition smells. Our three dogs
were notable to pinpoint where bodies were buried. After working for
1/2 hour or so, each dog completely stopped working and looked at
its handler as if to say, "It's everywhere. I can't 'touch' the
strongest area." My dog stopped and barked and barked at me as
she was so frustrated. Not until the earthmovers turned over some
earth did Coyote find a foot.
ALERT
On small pieces, the dog may not do its trained alert. It may be too
small, or there may be so many pieces that the dog will quickly go
from piece to piece. Your dog may give you eye contact each time,
which is why the dog must be within sight of the handler.
SNIFFING
The first indication that your dog is checking something human,
particularly if it is small, is intense sniffing. If the dog has
been trained for cadaver work, this sniffing will be different from
checking a dead animal, an animal trail, etc. The instant I hear my
dog or another handler's dog do this sniffing, I know they are onto
something human. This also goes for burned remains. Working the air
crash on Guam, all three of our dogs found skull pieces smaller than
your little fingernail. Another reason why the dog must work close
to the handler.
SCENT ACCLIMATION
I don't know about this. I do know that a dog can only concentrate
on searching small areas for about 20 minutes. Then the dog needs a
break. This could be because of scent acclimation or because the dog
is unable to work intensely for a short time. I just know that the
dog needs a short break if you want her to keep working at optimum
efficiency.
Marcia Koenig
c. 2001
K-9
Specialty Search Associates
