On April 17th, 16 new SVFD recruits began EMT School. They will participate in 6 weeks of class, learning the ins-and-outs of EMS and then proceed...
SVFD News
Recent Articles
Do Lithium-Ion Batteries Pose a Fire Risk?
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are in widespread use in consumer electronics. Lithium batteries have become the industry standard for rechargeable...
2023 Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Week
Each year, starting with the Martin Luther King holiday, fire departments around the nation support a weeklong campaign to educate communities about...
HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY, MAKO!
Mako, a Labrador Retriever originally from Michigan, was born on April 14, 2009. Mako joined Spokane Valley Fire Department as an official K-9 Accelerant Detection Canine after he completed his training at the Maine Specialty Dogs.
Firefighter Rick Freier, a certified fire investigator, and Mako teamed up to investigate fires in our coverage area, and in certain instances assisted other fire departments with their fire investigations. Mako was trained to “sniff” out accelerants—flammable liquids such as gasoline and kerosene that arsonists use to start fires. Evidence would then be collected and used to assist prosecutors in the prosecution of arson cases. Mako worked many fire scenes but not all of them were caused by arson. It was important to expose the dog to many types of fires. Mako worked on 187 investigations for more than 25 agencies over his five year career.
Mako and Firefighter Freier also worked in the area of public education. They believed the best way to protect the citizens of the district was to prevent fires from happening. You could see them at local schools or at community events promoting fire safety.
Mako retired in 2015. He made his last public appearance on October 10, 2015, at the SVFD Open House. But Mako continues to make regular appearances after his retirement helping out his partner Firefighter Rick Freier.
Happy birthday, Mako, and many more!
Did you Know?
- You can sign up for a station tour. Great for small groups.
- You should replace the batteries in your smoke alarms twice a year.
- Creating a defensible space with regards to wildfires could just save your home or property.
- We have Friends & Family CPR classes every month.