Latest news with #K-9s
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Ohio troopers and K-9s deploy to Texas for flood recovery
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Monday that the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) will assist with search, rescue, and recovery operations in Texas following the deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River over the July 4th weekend. According to a press release, Governor DeWine reached out to Texas Governor Greg Abbott over the weekend, offering support from Ohio in the wake of the disaster. Man with autism missing for months possibly seen on doorbell camera, family says In response, DeWine has directed the Ohio State Highway Patrol to send a team of 20 troopers from the OSHP's Mobile Field Force to Texas. The troopers are expected to be in the area for one week, supporting local agencies in the flood-stricken region. Man, 73, killed in overnight fire in Euclid Additionally, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will deploy several K-9 teams, along with their handlers, to assist with search and recovery missions. These K-9s are specially trained in tracking and locating survivors in disaster zones. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Yahoo
Governor DeWine shares update from Ohio workers in Texas
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine shared an update Saturday about the work the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio Department of Natural Resources are doing in Texas following the devastating and deadly flash flooding over the Fourth of July weekend. Tick-related emergency room visits have doubled: Cleveland Clinic DeWine announced July 7 he'd directed the Ohio State Highway Patrol to send a team of 20 troopers from the agency's Mobile Field Force and several of ODNR's K-9 teams, along with their handlers, to assist with search and recovery missions in hard-hit areas of Texas. The teams updated the governor as they were preparing to begin their fourth day of recovery work along the Guadalupe river. 'Crews from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio Department of Natural Resources are embedded with the Texas Department of Public Safety in three separate units, combing through the devastation left behind by last week's catastrophic flash floods,' DeWine wrote. 'Our teams – including several ODNR K-9s trained for search, rescue, and recovery missions – have been working long hours in hot temperatures, and I couldn't be more proud of those who volunteered for this mission.' According to DeWine, troopers told him the destruction is unlike anything they've seen, especially in the area of Camp Mystic where nearly 30 campers and counselors were swept away by fast-moving flood waters. Former dispatcher faces charges for 'cruel' call made to citizen 'I thank our Ohio teams for their selfless dedication to the citizens of Texas, and Fran and I continue to pray for everyone impacted by this tragedy,' DeWine's statement said. More than 100 people across central Texas are confirmed dead, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday more than 160 people are believed to be still missing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
SC search and rescue team headed to Texas to help find flood victims
Search and recovery workers dig through debris looking for any survivors or remains of people swept up in the flash flooding at Camp Mystic on July 6, 2025 in Hunt, Texas. Heavy rainfall caused flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas. (Photo by) COLUMBIA — A team of five people and two dogs trained in disaster response will travel to Texas to help locate people swept away during last weekend's floods, Gov. Henry McMaster's office said Tuesday. More than 100 people, including 30 children, were killed when rivers in the Texas hills flooded over the weekend, inundating a girls' summer camp along with nearby homes. At least 25 people remained missing as of Monday, though the total number unaccounted for was still unclear, The Texas Tribune reported. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asked McMaster for the state's help in a Monday phone call, according to the South Carolina governor's office. McMaster obliged, deploying a specialized team from South Carolina Task Force 1, which is trained to find and, when possible, help people in all sorts of disaster scenarios. The team includes two K-9s trained in detecting human remains through Greenville nonprofit Foothills Search and Rescue. 'Team South Carolina stands ready to offer any support we can,' McMaster said in a statement. 'In some of our toughest moments, the people of Texas were there for us. Now, it's our duty to return that support and stand by our friends in their time of need.' Last year, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department employees traveled to South Carolina to help clean up debris left behind when Helene swept through the state as a tropical storm. A federal mutual aid system called the emergency Management Assistance Compact helped coordinate the effort. South Carolina has long participated in the program and sends teams to help wherever disaster strikes, said Kim Stenson, director of the state's Emergency Management Division. 'Over the years, we've helped coordinate assistance for incidents in Kentucky, Florida, California, Alaska, and now Texas,' Stenson said in a statement. 'Our emergency response community stands ready and capable of answering the call when help is needed.'
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Body of hiking cruise passenger found in Alaska
July 4 (UPI) -- Rescuers in Alaska recovered the body of a 62-year-old woman who went on a hike in the mountains near Juneau after leaving the Norwegian Bliss cruise ship. Marites Buenafe, a medical doctor from Kentucky, was a passenger on the Norwegian Bliss, which was a seven-day round-trip from Seattle. Her body was found on Thursday, the Alaska Department of Public Safety State Troopers announced. Around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, she texted family members that she was going up going up Mount Roberts Tramway in Juneau and would hike from Gold Ridge to Gastineau Peak, the troopers reported. Security footage showed Buenafe at the top of the tramway. The 4-mile hike is challenging and usually takes three hours, hiking website AllTrails states. The ship was scheduled to depart around 1:30 p.m. At around 3:15, Buenafe was reported missing. Juneau Mountain Rescue searched on the ground and used thermal drones to scan the area, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said. Also, an Alaska Wildlife Troopers helicopter and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter conducted aerial searches, the department said. The search continued Wednesday with more than a dozen professional volunteers, as well as Juneau police officers, Alaska state troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue. Also utilized were drones and K-9s. Helicopter use was limited because of windy conditions. The search resumed Thursday. At 11:56 a.m., Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew located Buenafe's body some approximately 1,700 feet below the ridge line of Gold Ridge, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said. Crews then recovered her body, which was taken to the state medical examiner's office for autopsy. Buenafe was listed on the University of Kentucky Healthcare system's website as a doctor. DPS spokesperson Austin McDaniel told KYES-TV it is important to inform somebody of hiking plans. "If you don't return on time, they can alert first responders, alert search and rescue teams, the troopers, so we can immediately begin formulating a plan and activating resources to help get you out of the field," McDaniel said.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Nebraska K-9s injured in line of duty newly authorized for EMS care, transportation
Nebraska City Police Department Sgt. Christopher Richardson with retired K-9 Mack. Richardson championed legislation to authorize emergency medical services care and transportation in the event a K-9 is injured in the line of duty, a bill that passed the Nebraska Legislature in 2024. (Courtesy of Sgt. Christopher Richardson) LINCOLN — A new state law that took effect this week authorizes emergency medical services crews to provide care or transportation to Nebraska K-9s if one is ever injured in the line of duty. Lawmakers, by a 47-0 vote in April 2024, approved a measure from State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston allowing emergency medical services for K-9s after July 1, 2025. It covers law enforcement canines owned or employed by state or local law enforcement, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, local fire departments or the State Fire Marshal's Office. K-9s aiding in the detection of criminal activity, flammable materials or missing persons; enforcement of laws; investigation of fires or apprehending criminal offenders would be covered. Riepe said K-9s have proven beneficial and he hopes the law works out well. 'I think most people have a real kind spot in their heart for both dogs, cats, and probably some other animals that I'm not even aware of,' Riepe said this week. Cody Thomas, a spokesperson for the Nebraska State Patrol, which employs and trains police service dogs, said the canines are 'an extension of the officers they work with every day.' Such work can be dangerous for K-9s, with at least 10 killed in the line of duty nationwide already in 2025, he said. 'In the event one of our K-9 partners is injured in the line of duty, we would be grateful for any assistance provided by EMS teams, including transportation to an emergency veterinary hospital,' Thomas said in an email to the Nebraska Examiner. At least two Nebraska K-9s have been killed in the past decade: K-9 Kobus for the Omaha Police Department in 2016 and K-9 Nitro II for the York County Sheriff's Department in 2022. More than a dozen states have similar laws. Riepe's legislation began at the initiative of Nebraska City Police Department Sgt. Christopher Richardson. Richardson sought to get around a state law forbidding any emergency care for an animal, including the bandaging of a minor cut. 'These dogs are alone and untreated, wasting valuable time and preventing lifesaving measures from being performed,' Richardson testified at a February 2024 hearing. Richardson, who has taken multiple K-9s under his wing, told the Examiner in 2024 that in the case of Nebraska City, it can be a 45-minute delay to the nearest applicable care facility should his K-9 be harmed. He had said K-9 handlers spend more one-on-one time with their dogs, who he said can save an officer's life without hesitation, than with their families. 'They're not just another tool that's on our duty belt,' Richardson previously told the Examiner. The new law still gives humans priority in the need of medical care or transport. EMS teams, including volunteer departments, would not be required to implement the new law. Any EMS workers operating in 'good faith' to care for the dogs would be given civil and criminal immunity. 'We just want to make sure we don't leave a dog that was injured in duty behind, which seems like a very common-sense thing,' Riepe told the Examiner in 2024. The law authorized the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to implement additional regulations. Instead, DHHS and the state's Board of Emergency Medical Services and Board of Veterinary Medicine adopted multiple recommendations. Among the recommendations for EMS teams that take on the new law: Have a backup ambulance or plan to respond to emergency calls while caring for or transporting a K-9. Certification in basic life support through the RECOVER initiative. Specific training in K-9 care. Close alignment with a local veterinary or pet care facility that would continue K-9 care after transport.. Medical equipment suitable for animal use, including oxygen masks and/or respiratory barrier masks for 'mouth to snout' use.' Written policies and procedures crafted with a local veterinarian for appropriate training, including safe handling for injured K-9s, such as muzzles, response coordination with a law enforcement officer trained in handling police dogs and decontamination procedures after K-9 transportation. 'We don't want to have to transport our dogs in an ambulance,' Richardson said last year. 'But if it comes to that, having that ability is huge.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
