State Farm has been providing scholarship funding for the acquisition and training of accelerant detection canine teams – commonly called arson dogs – for two decades. Arson dogs are trained to detect the presence of accelerants (gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid, etc.) that may be used to start fraudulent and deadly arson fires. Valuable evidence can then be collected to aid in the prosecution or arsonists.
The National Fire Dog Monument (NFDM) is a 501(c)3 non-profit created to acknowledge the service Law Enforcement, Firefighters, and their arson dogs make in communities across the U.S. and Canada. State Farm and the American Humane Association (AHA) are co-sponsors of the National Fire Dog Monument.
The National Fire Dog Monument (NFDM) has commissioned a bronze sculpture to serve as a lasting monument for the service and dedication that arson dogs make in communities. A nearly 7 foot tall bronze monument depicting a firefighter looking down at his canine partner has been sculpted by 22 year old Colorado firefighter Austin Weishel.
The monument will leave Denver, CO on June 21, 2012 and will travel by truck across the country to its final placement in Washington D.C. on June 28, 2012. This is the first and only national monument dedicated to arson dogs and their law enforcement handlers.
Dogs are an invaluable part of our everyday lives. State Farm and the AHA are co-sponsoring the NFDM Road Show to celebrate the commitment to safer communities made by first responders (firefighters, police officers) and their canine partners. Since 1877, the American Humane Association has been the nation’s voice for the protection of children and animals. AHA is also leading the way in understanding human-animal interaction and its role in society.
Arson is a very serious problem as each year hundreds of lives are lost and millions of dollars in property damage occurs as a result of arson. It is important that law enforcement officials have every tool possible to combat this costly and sometimes deadly crime. Add indirect costs – lost jobs, lost property tax revenue, higher insurance premiums and tax money spent to investigate and prosecute arson – and the total annual arson costs paid by a community jumps much higher.
As the nation’s largest homeowner insurer, State Farm is well aware of the severity of arson. It is important that law enforcement officials have every tool possible to combat this costly and sometimes deadly crime. State Farm is the only company and the only insurer to provide funding towards the acquisition and training of arson dogs in the U.S. and Canada for two decades. Since 1993, State Farm has provided funding for the acquisition and training of more than 300 arson dog teams in 44 U.S. states, 3 Canadian provinces, and the District of Columbia.
