The VCOS Board of Directors is forming a committee to look at assembling a ribbon report for the Guidelines and Best Practices for Service, Support and Therapy Dogs in the Fire Service. If you or a member of your department has an interest or knowledge in this subject and would like to take part in building this program, this is your opportunity to do so. As the Service, Support, and Therapy dogs are becoming more involved in fire departments across the country, there is a need to establish guidelines and best practices for the benefit of everyone involved.
Service, Support and Therapy dogs are becoming more common in fire departments all across the country. The benefit is immeasurable for the people who are involved. The plan with this is to establish a committee to work on building "Best Practices" and "Guidelines" for departments to work from to devlop successful outcomes. We want to present information along with successful programs from all over to give options for departments considering developing this type of program for their people. There is interest in developing a specific name for the dogs used in this role.
This opportunity is a great chance to be a part of establishing the standards for these programs as they relate to fire/ EMS departments. There will be carryover to police as well as dispatch centers. We need fire service personnel, breeders, trainers, administrators and others having the passion to move forward with their own agency.
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