Ace new fire recruit is let off the lead

READY for duty: search and rescue dog Ace with his handler Mike Dewar

FIREFIGHTERS have found an Ace replacement for their four-legged colleague Echo as he heads towards retirement.

Crews hope the three-year-old labrador will live up to his name after 18 months of training as a search and rescue dog.

Nine year old Echo has travelled the world with his handler, Mike Dewar, helping to save lives in disaster zones from Haiti to Pakistan.

Mike, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service’s crew manager, has big expectations of his new recruit.

He said: “Ace took to his early training really well. He is very fit and agile, with a search drive that allows him to be totally focused on his work.”

Ace is now a valued member of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and is also on the national resilience register, on standby to help with operations.

Mike explained veteran rescue dog Echo role in preparing Ace to be his successor.

“In the early days he watched Echo work the rubble sites and started off doing very basic work, but he was soon undertaking the same searches as more experienced dogs,” he said.

Echo will retire later this year.