Special to the Herald
EFFINGHAM COUNTY -- The Georgia Police K9 Foundation has vested 178 K9s and donated 110 Heat Alarms to Georgia Law Enforcement K9s.
Effingham County Sheriff K9 “Bear” is the most recent K9 to receive an AceK9 Heat Alarm System valued of $2,000.
The AceK9 Heat Alarm is a temperature-monitoring system used in K9 vehicles that will send out SOS alerts if the inside temperature of the vehicle rises past a certain degree which is still regarded as safe yet approaching unsafe conditions possibly due to air conditioner failure.
The Heat Alarm System will automatically activate a horn honk, siren, light-bar activation, while simultaneously rolling down both back windows notifying anyone around. In Georgia, heat indexes can reach more than 100 degrees in a matter of minutes. For example, if the outside temperature is 80 degrees, the temperature inside a car can reach 104 degrees in 30 minutes.
It is crucial for an agency’s four-legged officers to be protected.
"Our organization is honored that K9 Bear, ECSO, is able to receive his own AceK9 Heat Alarm System,” said Kyle Briley, founder and president of Georgia Police K9 Foundation. “Temperatures in Georgia can reach critical levels in a matter of minutes, and it is crucial we keep our working dogs safe from the heat. Working together, we really do make a difference."
K9 Bear, a five-year-old Belgian Malinois, serves and protects the people in Effingham County for the mere payment of a reward toy and praise from his handler. Bear loves family time and meeting the wonderful citizens in the community; however, this K9’s all-time favorite activity is playing the game at work as a dual-purpose explosives canine. K9 Bear absolutely loves doing his job.
Georgia Police K9 Foundation (GPK9F) is an All-Volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit, which helps raise awareness within the state and the local communities of the infinite contributions made by the Police K9s and how they save lives to make our communities safe. Our goal is to protect as many of Georgia’s four-legged officers by providing them with safety equipment, such as, bullet-proof vests, heat alarm systems, and Naloxone (Narcan Kits) in the event a K9 is directly exposed to any opioids during a search and seizure. Once a K9 has retired, the handler will adopt their K9 partner and best friend. In the absence of state or local retirement benefits for the K9s, GPK9F will help provide retirement support (food and veterinary care) for the retired law enforcement K9s.
To date, the Georgia Police K9 Foundation has assisted over 4,000 K9s in Georgia by providing necessities such as: 178 K9 Protection Vests, 110 Heat Alarms, 200+ Narcan Kits, 200+ First Aid Kits, assisted 200+ retired K9s, and provided 500+ Training equipment and seminars/trainings to numerous K9 teams throughout Georgia.
For more information about the Georgia Police K9 Foundation, click on its website at www.GPK9F.org.
