Fire Service pays tribute to Fire Dog Reqs

Reqs, who retired in July 2023, was believed to have been one of Britain’s longest serving fire investigation dogs. The black Labrador passed away on Thursday, 14 November, and will be remembered as a dedicated and hard-working member of the team.

In November last year he became 42^nd recipient of the PDSA Order of Merit, in recognition of his lifetime of dedication and hard work.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mark Barber, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said:

“Reqs faithfully served alongside his handler Nikki Harvey for 11 years prior to his retirement last July.

“During his time in the service he attended 500 fires, in order to identify the presence of flammable liquids, which will have helped with criminal convictions.

“Today we are paying tribute to a valued colleague, and we send our heartfelt condolences to his handler Nikki Harvey.”

Fire investigation dogs are trained to detect substances which can start fires. Their sense of smell can help investigators to determine if a fire has been started deliberately and help improve conviction rates for people who purposefully start fires.

Watch Commander Nikki Harvey, who worked with Reqs for over a decade, described him as a committed member of the Fire Investigation Team and a beloved family member.

“His achievements over the course of his career show just what a remarkable dog he was, and I feel privileged that I got to share his life – training and working with him, taking him for long walks, watching him play with his toys and enjoying his retirement.”