Arson dogs are trained to work with a human handler and find evidence at fire scenes. The dogs are searching for accelerants such as gas, oil or fuel used to start fires. State Farm is the only company in North America that provides funding for the training of arson dog teams.

The State Farm Arson Dog Program is available to fire departments and law enforcement agencies across the United States. Since its beginning in 1993, the program has placed more than 425 dogs in 46 states, three Canadian provinces and the District of Columbia.

Arson is one of the most difficult crimes to solve, as the evidence literally burns up. Insurance fraud causes billions of dollars in damage each year. In fact, many police and fire departments are seeing an increase in suspicious fires because of business closures, financial challenges and social disruption.

"Fire investigators should have every tool possible to combat this deadly crime," said Heather Paul, State Farm Arson Dog Program Coordinator. “These dogs help fire investigators to do their job. Arson dog teams can quickly locate evidence of accelerants such as gasoline or fuel used to start a fire.”

Meeting and training with a new best friend

All of the dogs are Labrador retrievers and come from animal rescues or disability assistance programs. The dogs are trained months before they meet their human handler and must work for every meal. When the dog smells fuel, they sit down and point with their nose. Their “reward” is a handful of dog food and praise. They can locate accelerants quickly, even if it is buried under debris.

Canine handlers are police detectives or fire investigators. The training class is four weeks long and the handlers know it will be intense. Over the four weeks, the handler and dog will repeat training drills multiple times a day. Food reward dogs only eat from the hand of their handler so these training drills will be repeated multiple times a day for the life until the dog retires.

Following a month of classes and drills, the arson dog teams are tested and certified by the Maine State Police. Once certified, the teams travel back to their communities to begin investigating fires. The dogs live in the home of their handler and they retire in the home of their handler. For the men and women training in the program, working with a dog is a career highlight.

Congratulations to the newly certified teams in Class No. 52!

1. Fire Chief Billy Dillon & K-9 Piper - Howe Springs Fire Rescue (Florence, SC)
2. Special Agent Michael Kuban & K-9 Phantom - Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (Springfield, IL)
3. Special Agent Kenny Arnold & K-9 Gunny - Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (Springfield, IL)
4. Special Agent Jeff Pride and K-9 PJ - Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (Springfield, IL)
5. Captain Stephanie Schofield & K-9 Jennifer - Rawlins Fire Department (Rawlins, WY)
6. Fire Inspector John Neeb & K-9 Mika - West Fargo Fire Department (West Fargo, ND)
7. Fire Investigator Thomas Cantola & K-9 Maya - Girard Fire Department (Girard, OH)
8. Fire Investigator Brian Acors & K-9 Erny - Richmond Fire Department (Richmond, VA)
9. Arson Investigator Darren Jurado & K-9 Brownie - Compton Fire Department (Compton, CA)
10. Fire Investigator Lee Maness & K-9 Vinny - Cobb County Fire and EMS (Marietta, GA)
11. Detective Michael Douglas K-9 Ruthie - State of Florida, Division of Investigative & Forensic Services (Tampa, FL)
12. Detective Cody McIntyre & K-9 Rico - State of Florida, Division of Investigative & Forensic Services (Tallahassee, FL)
13. Firefighter Brent Autry & K-9 Tony - Milan Fire Department (Milan, TN)
14. Assistant Fire Chief Jim Kanavy & K-9 Mikey - Scott County Fire Department (Georgetown, KY)

Arson Dog Calendar

Each of this year's class of K-9 crime-fighters is featured on one of the calendar pages below. Click to download.

In the News:

• West Fargo Pioneer: Fire corner: Welcoming Mika to the team (09/30/20)

“Current State Farm driving data and claims experience show a considerable decline in miles driven and fewer accidents,” said Dan Krause, Senior Vice President. “As a result, we’re looking for ways to continue supporting our Kentucky customers while we monitor and adjust to trends.”

In addition to the auto rate reduction, the discount for participating in Drive Safe & Save™ is increasing to 10%, and empowers drivers to save more on their auto premiums through driving behaviors.

Customer rate reductions will vary based on their individual renewals. Customers are encouraged to visit with their State Farm agent about individual policies, coverage and any opportunities for discounts, including Drive Safe & Save.

“The company’s current financial strength is allowing us to pass along a rate reduction to our Kentucky customers," said State Farm Senior Vice President Dan Krause. “We continually evaluate how we can best serve our customers and are very pleased to be able to offer this rate decrease in Kentucky.”

Overall changes in premiums for individual motorists will vary depending on the specific details of an individual customer’s policy and chosen coverages. Kentucky customers with questions can contact their local State Farm agent to discuss their individual situation.

In addition to this rate reduction, State Farm agents are able to review with new and existing customers the many opportunities for additional discounts that may apply to an individual’s unique circumstances. A rate decrease combined with discounts offers an exceptional long-term value to State Farm customers.

Until fate intervened.

The beagle’s name was Jake. And it just so happens that the media and PR coordinator for Kentucky’s largest humane society is a huge fan of the Jake from State Farm^® commercials.

When an employee at the Kentucky Humane Society in Louisville sent her Jake’s photo, Megan Decker knew just what to do.

“All he needed was a little extra attention to be noticed. I immediately thought of Jake at State Farm,” Megan says. “So I posted his photo on Twitter and tagged State Farm.”

Her tweet − "Learn more about Jake" − got results.

Jordan Knoup, a Public Affairs specialist, was monitoring the company’s social media posts when she saw Megan’s Tweet about their Jake on the official Jake at State Farm Twitter page.

A rescue dog fan herself, Jordan asked her Public Affairs contacts to see if there was a way to help.

“I thought we may be able to sponsor his adoption fee as a goodwill gesture.”

Public Affairs Specialists Judy McConkey and Heather Paul worked with Jordan to expedite the donation to the humane society. When the request was approved, the humane society was notified that State Farm would indeed sponsor Jake, covering his adoption fee and a few extra blankets and toys for his new family.

Judy wrote on the Humane Society’s Twitter page in response: "Jake from @StateFarm is #heretohelp! We will cover your adoption fees and help you find a forever home. You really are handsome with your red collar and brown markings. It almost looks like you are wearing khakis!"

Jake, now adopted, is settling in to his new home thanks to the efforts of a few animal lovers and a popular commercial.

Megan says corporate sponsorships like this one help them pull dogs from rural shelters that have little or no adoption programs.

“We have a great team in place that works with dogs like Jake from these shelters to get them ready for adoption as soon as possible,” Megan says. “We do lots of grant writing and outreach to save as many animals as we can. I’m so happy this worked out for Jake and his new family.”

Across the country, schools are teaching students, not just with a text book, but by getting their hands dirty. Literally. And, with the help of State Farm, they are helping their communities and the environment in the process.

Crellin Elementary teaches students how to keep the body and the planet healthy

Your chicken door needs to be closed each day at a certain time? What do you do? If you are a fifth grader at Crellin Elementary in Maryland, you build an automatic chicken door that runs on solar power.

From working in the greenhouse, cleaning the wool from a sheered sheep, to taking a walk to learn about the hemlocks, Crellin Elementary Students (K-5) are learning in unique ways.

The kids, along with their parents and teachers, learn about healthy, sustainable lifestyles and how to protect the environment. They feed the animals, plant vegetables and compost leftovers from school lunches. And the students don’t mind doing their chores…at school.At the school, they also have a lab the students use to study and collect data.

After spending time in the barn, first graders were curious about which roosting box the hens preferred when laying eggs. For two months, regardless of the weather, these little scientists went to the barn to collect data. Using the results, the second graders prepare the “Sunshine Farm” eggs to sell.

“Using the environment to teach content skills and processes is part of the approach to teaching and learning,” said Principal Dana McCauley. ”(They) strive to be self-sustaining at Crellin by tying agriculture into the curriculum.”

Virginia Chance School “Green Team” creates organic garden and compost system

The Virginia Chance School in Louisville, Kentucky has an eight-member “Green Team”. The chosen fourth and fifth graders annually lead the environmental and energy conservation charge at the independent school for children age two through fifth grade.

The Green Team’s first big undertaking in 2012 was overseeing the building of a 60-foot greenhouse to create an organic garden and compost system.

“The building of the greenhouse really changed our school and our learning environment for the better,” says Ms. Cummins, the lead teacher.

Subsequent Green Teams have introduced an Aquaponics system into the greenhouse, planted a rain garden, and built rain barrels. Next on the horizon is building a chicken coop.

The produce the students grow is used as fresh snacks for the student body, student-run farmers market, cooking classes, monthly taco dinners. Leftovers are donated to a local food bank.

In May of 2015, the National Energy Education Development Project named the Chance School the top elementary school in the country. “I think what made their project stand out is the ability to tie in growing their own food and conserving water into energy conservation,” said Ms. Cummins.

The school was honored by a visit from First Lady Jane Beshear of Kentucky in recognition of all of the great things the Green Team is accomplishing.

Tucker County High School grows 50,000 bedding plants

High school students can get into the action too. At Tucker County HS in Hambleton, West Virginia, students are learning valuable life skills.

Through the Farm to School program, the students sell their produce directly to the high school or other schools. The school’s cafeteria is now serving meals with produce grown in the greenhouse.

The culinary program, part of the career & technical education program, has also expanded with the addition of fresh produce from the greenhouse. Students learn how to can and preserve fresh produce for school meals.

Last year, 50,000 bedding plants were grown in the high school green house and sold to the community and surrounding counties.

With these programs in place, TCHS can make money from the greenhouse facilities and culinary programs to, ultimately, help support the students

The alarm sounded just as Joyce Miller was about to step out the front door. Her first reaction wasn’t panic, but confusion – there was no burning smell, no heat coming from anywhere on the first floor. But when she went to the second floor, she looked into a bedroom and saw flames stretched from floor to ceiling.

She closed the door on the flames and ran downstairs, calling out for her five cats, hoping to get them to safety before the fire reached the rest of the house. As she looked for her pets, the alarm company called to confirm there was a fire, telling her they had dispatched the local Harrods Creek (Ky.) Fire Department.

Knowing she didn’t have much time, Miller quickly put one cat in the car and backed the car out of the garage. She found another cat and put it in the garage with the doors closed. But try as she might, she couldn’t find the other three cats.

“Common sense comes into play and you realize you have to get out,” Miller said. Hoping the cats were safe wherever they were hiding, Miller hurried out the back door.

A Lesson From Her Neighbor

Miller installed a home monitoring system in her Prospect, KY home at the recommendation of her State Farm agent.

“I had always wanted to do that,” Miller said. “But it’s one of those things you put off.”

Miller and her late husband were longtime customers of State Farm. Denny Vogel, the Miller’s State Farm agent, said he often talks to customers about the benefits of a home monitoring system. But the most powerful selling point is the endorsement of a friend or neighbor who had an experience (burglary) like Miller’s.

“I definitely use it as an example, especially in this neighborhood,” Vogel said.

“I don’t think I realized how great a monitored fire alarm system was,” Miller said, “until the morning of December 11, 2013.”

A Matter Of Minutes

The fire department arrived at 8:08 a.m., just six minutes after receiving the call from ADT. They saw smoke coming from the eaves beneath the roof and worried the fire had spread to the attic.

Firefighters proceeded upstairs to the bedroom where they found a mattress engulfed in flames, caused by a malfunctioning electrical outlet. They knocked down the flames and dragged the bed downstairs into the yard to finish putting out the fire. Though it seemed like an eternity to Miller, it took just 90 minutes for firefighters to save her home.

She found two of the missing cats under a bed downstairs. The other emerged from the basement when the ruckus died down. Now, three months later, repairs to the house are almost complete, and Miller and her cats are getting back to normal.

If a home security system had not been present, it is possible Miller would not have heard an alarm at all and would have continued to leave her home that morning. And she might have inadvertently left the fire to grow. She could have come home to nothing but ashes.

“Even if she had battery operated smoke detectors, nobody would have been there to hear them,” said Major Steven Hanson of the Harrods Creek Fire Department. “We could get there in five minutes or less, but if a fire’s been cooking for 45 minutes, there’s not much to save when we get there.”

The alarm sounded just as Joyce Miller was about to step out the front door. Her first reaction wasn’t panic, but confusion – there was no burning smell, no heat coming from anywhere on the first floor. But when she went to the second floor, she looked into a bedroom and saw flames stretched from floor to ceiling.

She closed the door on the flames and ran downstairs, calling out for her five cats, hoping to get them to safety before the fire reached the rest of the house. As she looked for her pets, the alarm company called to confirm there was a fire, telling her they had dispatched the local Harrods Creek (Ky.) Fire Department.

Knowing she didn’t have much time, Miller quickly put one cat in the car and backed the car out of the garage. She found another cat and put it in the garage with the doors closed. But try as she might, she couldn’t find the other three cats.

“Common sense comes into play and you realize you have to get out,” Miller said. Hoping the cats were safe wherever they were hiding, Miller hurried out the back door.

A Lesson From Her Neighbor

Miller installed a home monitoring system in her Prospect, KY home at the recommendation of her State Farm agent.

“I had always wanted to do that,” Miller said. “But it’s one of those things you put off.”

Miller and her late husband were longtime customers of State Farm. Denny Vogel, the Miller’s State Farm agent, said he often talks to customers about the benefits of a home monitoring system. But the most powerful selling point is the endorsement of a friend or neighbor who had an experience (burglary) like Miller’s.

“I definitely use it as an example, especially in this neighborhood,” Vogel said.

“I don’t think I realized how great a monitored fire alarm system was,” Miller said, “until the morning of December 11, 2013.”

A Matter Of Minutes

The fire department arrived at 8:08 a.m., just six minutes after receiving the call from ADT. They saw smoke coming from the eaves beneath the roof and worried the fire had spread to the attic.

Firefighters proceeded upstairs to the bedroom where they found a mattress engulfed in flames, caused by a malfunctioning electrical outlet. They knocked down the flames and dragged the bed downstairs into the yard to finish putting out the fire. Though it seemed like an eternity to Miller, it took just 90 minutes for firefighters to save her home.

She found two of the missing cats under a bed downstairs. The other emerged from the basement when the ruckus died down. Now, three months later, repairs to the house are almost complete, and Miller and her cats are getting back to normal.

If a home security system had not been present, it is possible Miller would not have heard an alarm at all and would have continued to leave her home that morning. And she might have inadvertently left the fire to grow. She could have come home to nothing but ashes.

“Even if she had battery operated smoke detectors, nobody would have been there to hear them,” said Major Steven Hanson of the Harrods Creek Fire Department. “We could get there in five minutes or less, but if a fire’s been cooking for 45 minutes, there’s not much to save when we get there.”