Honolulu, HI, April 30, 2012
WHO: Kaimi, Hawaii's only Arson Dog, was recently nominated for the 2012 Hero Dog Award in the Law Enforcement & Arson Dogs category. His handler is Captain Robert Perreira of the Hawaii County Fire Department.
WHAT: The public is encouraged to help make Kaimi the winner by voting once a day at Hero Dog Awards™. Voting ends June 30, 2012.
Finalists in each of the eight categories will be selected by the public from the pool of contestants, and flown to Hollywood with their human partners to the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards™ gala on Oct. 6, 2012.
WHEN: Kaimi and Captain Perriera will be available for interviews and live demonstrations of Kaimi's remarkable skill in detecting accelerants on Friday, May 11.
WHY: As a nationally certified accelerant detection K-9, Kaimi has assisted in a number of suspected arson cases in Hawaii since 2008. As a seven-month-old puppy, he was rescued from an abusive home in California and brought to an animal shelter. Kaimi displayed the enthusiasm and drive to serve, so he was sent to Alfred, Maine, for accelerant-detection training where he met his new handler and partner, Captain Perreira.
The duo has worked together since to sniff out chemicals that may have been used to light fires. This helps law enforcement and insurers to quickly determine if a blaze is criminal in nature, saving time and money in arson investigations.
Arson is one of the most expensive types of property loss in the United States. May 6 through 12 is National Arson Awareness Week. According to the National Fire Protection Association's Intentional Fires Fact Sheet, more than 306,000 fires were intentionally set between 2005 and 2009 causing:
The Arson Dog Program is funded by State Farm Insurance Companies and is available to fire departments and law enforcement agencies. Since 1993, State Farm has placed more than 250 arson dogs in the U.S. and Canada.
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts - more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.
