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A top prize has been scooped by a dogged duo from West Sussex County Council Fire and Rescue Service.

Watch Manager Bas Wood and his four-legged partner, Hattie , a specially trained Labrador, took first place in one of the events held at the annual British Police and Service Canine Association trials, which were staged in Warwickshire.

They won the accelerant search section, beating a London Fire Brigade duo by just two seconds.

Bas said: "The standard of competitors is always high at the trials, so winning a first prize is a considerable achievement for Hattie."

Lionel Barnard , County Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said: "Bas and Hattie are to be congratulated for their efforts. They are an important weapon in our fight against arson, which is now the cause of half of the fires in the UK.

"Their success in this competition is an endorsement of their expertise."

Bas and Hattie have been putting the bite on arsonists for more than two years.

Hattie has been specially trained to sniff out what firefighters term
'accelerants' – flammable liquids, such as petrol, paraffin and barbecue fluid – at fire scenes.

She is one of three in the South East region and one of only 15 in the UK.

Bas said: "We go out to fire scenes at the request of Fire Investigation Officers. They're experienced people who can tell if a fire is suspicious or not. With Hattie's help, they can quickly identify where the fire started and how it started.

"She can also help them establish if the fire was a genuine accident. If the fire was caused by, say, nail varnish being spilt on a bedroom floor, which Hattie will soon find, there's a strong likelihood it wasn't deliberate.

"However, if that nail varnish is in a garage or a store cupboard, it's
likely to be a different story."

Hattie – and her canine colleagues throughout the UK – was initially professionally trained by a former firefighter.

"The training is similar to that of drugs and firearms sniffer dogs and I back this up with regular daily training sessions," said Bas.

Fire sniffer dogs such as Hattie originated in the US in the late
1980s and are in regular use in Australia.

"US firefighters noticed a significant increase in arson, which
we are now seeing here. They hit on the idea of accelerant sniffer dogs to speed up and make fire investigation more efficient."

"Hattie certainly earns her keep – on average, she is called out twice a week."

Ends…

Picture caption: Dogged duo Bas Wood and Hattie with the top trophy they scooped