October 19, 2011 - Approximately 40 accelerant-detecting canines and handlers from 21 states and the District of Columbia will be traveling to Knoxville, TN for a three day recertification class, sponsored by State Farm® and the Knoxville Fire Department. The dogs have been trained to detect petrochemicals (gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid, etc.) used to start arson fires.
On October 19, the media is invited to a demonstration of the dogs' ability to detect even the minutest sample of a chemical, which can be used to start a fire.
Tests have shown that trained dogs are superior to mechanical instruments in detecting accelerants at a fire scene. The dogs' abilities reduce the time need by fire investigators to gather information about a fire.
State Farm has been a sponsor of the Arson Dog Program since 1993.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were over 41,500 intentionally set fires (structure and vehicle) in 2009 causing over $792 million dollars in property damage. Arson dogs played a key role in determining the cause of many of these fires.
October 19, 2011
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Demonstration and Interviews
Knoxville Fire Department Training Academy
3411 Vice Mayor Jack Sharp Road
Knoxville, TN
Judy McConkey, Murfreesboro Operations Center, State Farm, (615) 692-6280
State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. Our 17,800 agents and more than 66,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts - more than 79 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 34 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.
