FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Dalmatians have long been associated with fire stations, but how often do you actually see the dogs as part of a crew? If you live in Fayetteville, you may have.
The Fayetteville Fire Department now has four Dalmatians at the station.
The department said the dogs have been an important fixture on the team dating back to the 1970s, with a few gaps in between.
The tradition of fire departments having Dalmatians goes back much further to the days of horse-drawn carriages.
When fire departments used horse-drawn fire wagons, Dalmatians would run alongside the horses as the crew was headed to a call, clearing a path and fending off any other animals that might spook them.
In the present day, their role has shifted, and the Fayetteville Fire Dalmatians now work on community outreach and teaching fire safety to kids. They are trained to 'stop, drop, and roll' and feel doors for heat, providing visuals when the department teaches fire safety at local schools.
“We've actually had a few success stories with that throughout the years with past ‘Sparkys’ where children either knew how to get out of the house because they remember seeing the dog in school or [remembered] ‘stop, drop, and roll,’” said one of the dogs’ handlers, Marty Striefler.
In addition to community outreach and education, the dogs frequently bring smiles to people’s faces, especially their coworkers.
“It's nice getting off a call … and you got a four-legged friend to make the mood lighter,” Striefler said. "We like having them around.”
The Dalmatians' next public appearance will be with the fire department at the Fayetteville Public Library's Summer Reading Kickoff in June.
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