Jake
the fire safety dog, a black Labrador retriever service dog, is the first service canine to be used
exclusively to teach children about fire and life safety. As an English version of the black lab, Jake is more refined and low-key with children than some other breeds.
He has his own photo identification and is recognized by the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security as a working service dog with his sole purpose being public education, since dogs could be used as agents
of terrorism.
In April 2007, Scott D. Maker
and Michael McLeieer became handlers of Jake and added him to their non-profit
public charity, E.S.C.A.P.E., Inc. (Education Showing Children and Adults
Procedures for Evacuations).
As Jake’s primary handler,
Maker spends two hours each day teaching Jake how to act out messages such
as "crawl low under smoke", "get out and stay out", and "stop, drop and
roll."
Jake teaches children about
fire and life safety in both the Great Lakes and New England regions including
Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Our goal of
teaching children in these regions is to be proactive rather than reactive.
We work with area fire departments and go into schools and daycare centers
to reinforce these positive messages. Jake is just one way to teach those
messages, but his presence has helped the educational community to welcome
the program with open arms.
In the winter months, the
lessons include ice and cold water safety, such as never venturing onto
thin ice. In the spring, students learn about topics like bicycle helmet
safety and stranger danger. Jake is also used to teach children never to
go up to a strange animal without adult supervision.
Jake has learned to demonstrate
making the "right choice", such as not hiding under a bed if there is fire
or smoke conditions (applicable for younger children) and not using tobacco
products that could result in fires (for older children).
Jake will be able to work
as a service dog until he is 10 to 12 years old, when typical hip and joint
problems will likely interfere with his acrobatics.
What’s
in a name?
We wanted a term that related
to firefighting, and the term "Jake" is a New England-derived slang term
for a firefighter. This word was first used as a reference to firefighters
in the early 20th century in the Greater Boston area. It is now a widely
accepted term in the fire service and exclusively used to bestow great
praise and the highest level of respect. To be called a “Good Jake” is
the highest form of praise a Boston area fire fighter can possibly receive
from a peer.
On October 3, 2007, Jake,
Maker & McLeieer were in an elementary school in Merrimac, Massachusetts,
teaching a preschool class about fire and life safety. Jake was very popular
with the children, including 4-year-old Jack Gilbert. That evening, Jack
Gilbert’s house filled with 4 feet of thick smoke due to a fire in the
family’s wood stove.
Jack remembered the lessons
he learned earlier that day and lead his family outside to safety to their
designated meeting place. Jack learned GET OUT and STAY OUT during Jake’s
demonstration from his class earlier in the day. In fact, Jack’s mother
wanted to re-enter the house to retrieve the family’s bird, but Jack prevented
her from doing so by saying, "Mommy, you’re suppose to be with me." On
December 3, 2007, Jack was honored as a Massachusetts Young Hero by Massachusetts
State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan for remembering what to do during an
emergency situation.
We will continue to utilize
Jake in teaching our fire & life safety programs, including reaching
out to audiences with disabilities, such as autism and hearing impairments.
Jake and the E.S.C.A.P.E. program is featured regularly by our media partners on their West Michigan stations:
WOOD TV 8-NBC
WOTV 4-ABC
AM 590 WKZO-CBS Radio
As well as on:
96.5-FM WYZO
106.5 WVFM
1660 AM WQLR
1560 AM WNWN
Also in Massachusetts in the following media:
The Boston Globe
The Newburyport Daily News
The West Newbury News
And finally, nationally, for Jones & Bartlett Publisher's Emergency Care & Safety Institute quarterly newsletter.
Jake turned one year old
in January, 2008 and is still learning himself, but we are very pleased with
his performance and he has certainly lived up to the tradition of being
called a "Good Jake".
Watch
a video from June, 2007
about Jake from our media partner WOOD TV 8 in Grand Rapids Michigan
(click
on the link below)
Jake
the Fire Safety Dog
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