A fire marshal and a K-9 investigators are a one-of-a kind team, sniffing out the sources of suspicious fires.
"Bailey is trained to find accelerants,” said Deputy K-9 Fire Marshal Michele Gregory. “Anything like gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid. Anthing somebody may have used to start a fire, and he can show in a matter of seconds where a drop of it may be."
Bailey and her handler, Gregory, are the only accelerant detection team in Allegheny County, and the only pair in the state with a woman taking the reins.
“Personally, I have not come across too many other female fire investigators in the field in general,” Gregory said. “It's definitely challenging to break into that."
Bailey’s nose is 10,000 times more powerful than a human’s. He’s so precise, he can sniff out just 20 microliters of accelerant. That’s less than a single drop from an eye dropper.
“It could take us hours to search that room, and he can walk through in 30 seconds and say, 'Its right here,'” she said.
Gregory spends countless hours training with Bailey by her side.
“Michele and Bailey bring a specialty to that core group that's well beyond what any of them and any of us can do to investigate the cause and origin of the fire,” said Chief Matthew Brown, of Allegheny County Emergency Services. “They’re going to get the job done and get the job done right.”
Gregory said she works hard to ensure criminals are off the streets, stopping arson from happening and saving lives.