A firefighter from Vsetín and his dog obtained Ministry of the Interior certification for searching for people in rubble.
A member of the Fire Rescue Service of the Zlín Region in Vsetín passed an examination together with his dog. The pair thereby obtained a Ministry of the Interior certification that authorises them to search for people in rubble.[1][2] Each part of the examination had a time limit of 30 minutes, and in April 2026 the team passed the practical dog deployment test, which was a condition for admission to the ministry certifications. [2] The certification in specialisation S, rubble search, allows the team to be deployed after building collapses, explosions with people buried, earthquakes or tornadoes, both in the Czech Republic and abroad as part of a USAR team. [1] The handler joined the fire service of the Zlín Region on 1 August 2021 and acquired the dog as a puppy with the aim of training it to search for people in rubble. Training began at seven weeks of age and included socialisation and getting used to surfaces and obstacles, for example wire stairs, concrete panels and unstable debris. [2] The examination took place on 8 October 2026 and consisted of two daytime rubble searches and one at night. [1] In the daytime part, the team had a five-minute break between the two sites, and the night part was a further separate pile of rubble in which the pair demonstrated their coordination in reduced light. [2]
Related articles: Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, Vsetín
Chronology
- — A firefighter from Vsetín with the Fire Rescue Service of the Zlín Region and his dog passed the exam and received a Ministry of the Interior certification for searching for people in rubble. ZLIN.CZ Deník: Zlínský kraj