BBC London
LFBLondon Fire Brigade (LFB) now has six newly qualified wellbeing dogs to help firefighters recover from traumatic incidents.
The scheme works by members of staff volunteering to be trained with their pet dogs to give emotional support to crews.
Working on a request basis, they can now visit any of the 102 fire stations across London to offer teams a morale boost.
Borough commander for Hammersmith and Fulham, Lucy MacLeod, who volunteers with her dog Blue, said: “He is happy to be stroked, adores being made a fuss of and he is very calm around people.”
LFBLucy said that Blue, a miniature Australian Shepherd, “generally loves being around humans”.
She added: “Evidence shows that animals like Blue, can have a calming influence on people and provide a positive distraction; there’s no judgement from a dog.”
To qualify to support colleagues, the duo had to complete 20 modules in the Oscar Kilo 9 (OK9) Dog Trust’s handlers course and a behavioural assessment.
Owners also had to pass a two-day Mental Health First Aiders course and a one-day OK9 peer support course.
‘Bridging the gap’
Once everyone has completed training, the team will have 10 dogs and their handlers but the fire service hopes to recruit more in the future.
Head of health and wellbeing at London Fire Brigade, Natalie Elliott, said: “Our fire crews are called to all manner of incidents, not just burning buildings.
“Some of these incidents may have a significant impact on a person’s mental health… it’s impossible to know who and how someone is going to be affected from the outset, but we do know that some incidents will stay with our staff long after they’ve left the scene.
“The wellbeing dogs help provide support and are key to bridging the gap between early interventions such as peer-based post incident support and more structured support, such as trauma therapy, which the brigade provides.”
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