By Kelli Latuska
The Duluth Fire Marshal’s office announced today the addition of a new ignitable liquids detection K-9 to its team in a press conference at its headquarters location.
The K-9, named Jack, had his first day of service on April 1, 2024. His badge number is 413. Jack is was certified by the Maine State Police, and spent recently completed four weeks of training with his handler, Duluth Deputy Fire Marshal Adam Casillas, in New Hampshire.
“We’re very proud to announce the addition of Jack to our DFD family,” said Duluth Fire Chief Shawn Krizaj. “This is the only K-9 fire investigator in the region, and we expect his effect on the department’s operations to be immeasurable, not just in the mechanics of Jack’s investigative skills, but also in department morale.”
Jack’s job within the Duluth Fire Marshal’s office is to sniff for and detect ignitable liquids at fire scenes, such as gasoline. Jack will act as a fire scene mechanism for finding any ignitable liquids that may have contributed to either starting a fire or contributing to its growth. Jack can detect ignitable liquids down to a minute amount, allowing the department to detect and collect evidence that may otherwise go undetected.
“The amount of ignitable liquid that Jack is capable of detecting is so minute, and his ability to do so is so fast, that we are so excited to see how huge an impact he’ll have on our investigations,” said Deputy Fire Marshal Casillas.
“He’s not just a welcome addition to the DFD family, but he’s also a welcome addition to my own household,” he said, noting the place Jack has already secured in the Casillas family’s hearts. Jack works only with DFM Casillas, and lives with the Casillas family when Adam goes home each day.
Fire Marshal Lisa Consie explained, “the initial funding to bring Jack to our office came from State Farm Insurance, as well as public safety dollars given to the department from Governor Walz in 2023. Ongoing care funding required for Jack to continue his work with us will come from DFD’s operational budget and from grants from the Duluth Fire Foundation.”