Five K9 heroes set to retire by 2025

SERIAN: The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department’s (Bomba) K9 Unit is planning to retire five detection dogs by 2025.

Sarawak Bomba director Datuk Khirudin Drahman @ Hussaini said that the decision is based on the dogs exceeding the maximum intelligence limit of six to seven years, as per their service period.

The current roster of K9 dogs includes Sue, Wilf, Bella, Daisy, and Bailey.

Unfortunately, one of the unit’s valuable hero, Cliff, the cadaver discipline dog, passed away on Dec 25 last year due to a tumour in its bladder.

“If according to the (maturity) period, we should make (new K9 dogs) replacements this year to strengthen (operational) capabilities.

“This is because when dogs get old, their (detection) accuracy will decrease,” he said when met at Serian fire station yesterday (Jan 4).

From left: Firefighter and K9 handler Kenneth Masir with Bella, and firefighter and K9 handler Dominic Bahong with Daisy.

The replacement of the K9 dogs will be funded through the RM12 million allocation approved by the federal government last year.

He added that the procurement aims to enhance the unit’s capabilities, with each tracking dog costing up to RM124,000 based on their age at the rate of two to three months.

Regarding the fate of the retiring dogs, Khirudin mentioned that the process of handling and placement falls under the jurisdiction of the headquarters.

He noted that based on past experience, most retired dogs are euthanised due to their specialised roles during duty, particularly in functions related to the sense of smell.

Meanwhile, addressing the future of K9 operations in Sarawak, Khirudin proposed the establishment of an ‘Urban Search and Rescue’ disciplinary detection dog to the headquarters.

“This fourth discipline aims to bolster the capacity of Sarawak Bomba, especially in dealing with unexpected situations such as building collapses,” he said.