Smokey improves morale for emergency responders

Working behind the scenes during life’s unexpected moments is something fire fighters do day in and day out, facing traumatic moments and never being able to unsee the worst.

“We kind of realized we were failing some of our guys by not picking up on those signs of PTSD, depression and things like that from some of these guys going on some pretty traumatic calls,” Santos Soto, public information officer with Temple Fire & Rescue, shared.

After doing some research, Soto and a pier support team came up with the idea of a therapy dog, which is how the fire department came to adopt its very own Dalmatian from a Temple family.

“We realized there was some use in therapy canines. I had approached the chief and said, ‘What do you think about the idea?’ He loved it and the next thing we knew, we were picking out a canine to go on this journey with,” Soto added.

The one-year-old pup named Smokey began his therapy training in July and is well on his way to helping local first responders. In fact, Soto said he has already seen an improvement in the moral because of the dog’s presence.

“Currently, our hope is that not just the fire department would utilize the canine, but the other first responders in town — police, EMS and everybody who works on these type of traumatic events and traumatic calls. He would come in and be part of the therapy to help debrief and defuse all those folks who have had that first-hand experience and trauma,” Soto explained. “I’m happy to know that before long, he’ll be making a bigger impact than he has already. Not just for us as first responders, but for the community as a whole.”