In Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday 12 to Sunday 18 May), we're celebrating six newly qualified canine recruits, and their handlers, joining the Brigade’s wellbeing dog team.
Members of staff volunteer with their own dogs to participate in the project. The team are available to visit any one of the 102 fire stations around London upon request and are an important part of the wellbeing offering available to firefighters who have experienced traumatic incidents. Visits can be arranged to give fire crews a morale boost, and plans are afoot for visits to be specifically scheduled following especially distressing incidents.
With the graduation of this cohort, the wellbeing dog team will consist of ten dogs and their handlers. In the past year there have been around 30 visits to fire stations, Station Open Days and other Brigade departments. And in the coming months the team is hoping to expand further and recruit more dogs and handlers.
The dogs are part of a Brigade-wide scheme that was originally set up in 2017 by Stanmore firefighter, Shelley Robinson, as wellbeing dogs are known to help people process things following distressing or challenging incidents [1]. In 2023 the Brigade’s wellbeing team, led by Sarah Jane King and Katie Pelzman expanded the project with additional help from Assistant Operations Manager Becci Dingvean, in the Brigade’s Control room, who qualified as a dog handler and went on to train others.
Natalie Elliott, Head of Health and Wellbeing at London Fire Brigade 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, and can range from fatalities to train or car accidents, and incidents involving very young children. 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.”
One of four-legged recruits is Blue, a miniature Australian Shepherd. Blue’s owner and handler is the Borough Commander for Hammersmith and Fulham, Lucy MacLeod. To date the duo have completed 20 intensive modules as part of the Oscar Kilo 9 (OK9 [2]) Dogs Trust Handlers course, plus a behavioural assessment and is now qualified to support colleagues. Owners also complete an additional Mental Health First Aiders two-day course and a one-day OK9 peer support course.
Borough Commander MacLeod, explaining why Blue makes such an excellent wellbeing dog, said: “It does take a special type of dog to take on this work. Blue has the right temperament. He is happy to be stroked, adores being made a fuss of and he is very calm around people. He generally loves being around humans.
“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. We’ve found that our staff are more likely to talk openly and honestly on subjects like mental health and wellbeing when four-legged friends are around.”
Wallington’s Red Watch Leading Firefighter Craig Parlanti was one of the crew to benefit from a wellbeing dog visit recently. He said: “It was great to meet Ted. He’s a three-year-old working cocker spaniel. He came to visit us at the fire station and gave us all a bit of a boost. It’s important we unwind and de-stress after some of the incidents we attend. Ted’s visit certainly helped us to do that.”
1. https://www.helpguide.org/wellness/pets/mood-boosting-power-of-dogs
2. OK9, or alternatively known as Oscar Kilo 9, is a national wellbeing and trauma support dog scheme. OK9 dogs provide wellbeing support for the police, fire and rescue and other emergency services across the UK.