By Scott Martindale
The Orange County Register
YORBA LINDA, Calif. — Firefighter/paramedic Gary Durian of Yorba Linda is one of six canine handlers who arrived Saturday in Japan with a Los Angeles-based search-and-rescue team to look for survivors buried under rubble and debris.
Durian and his dog, Baxter, will search for victims in northern Japan.
“It’s of the utmost importance right now to do all the rescue possible,” said canine handler Marc Valentine, a Montebello Fire Department captain who also trains search-and-rescue dogs in Orange County.
“In the first few minutes, other people come and rescue the ones they can hear crying for help. It’s the people who are buried underneath debris and rubble that we’re looking for. Fourteen days out, they were still finding people alive in Haiti.”
Durian, who works for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, is part of Los Angeles Task Force 2, a 72-member emergency response team that is one of two nationwide authorized by the U.S. State Department to provide aide during international disasters. The team includes doctors, structural engineers, paramedics and firefighters.
Baxter was discovered at a Northern California animal shelter in February 2006 by a Search Dog Foundation volunteer who saw potential in the canine.
Copyright 2011 Orange County Register
All Rights Reserved