Chaos, a crisis therapy canine, has found a home at the Sagadahoc County Emergency Management Agency, along with the purchase of a thermal drone this year.

The crisis response canine is a first for the Sagadahoc Emergency Management Agency to bring calm in stressful situations for victims and first responders. A couple of months ago, the emergency response agency purchased a brand new thermal drone at little cost to Midcoast taxpayers.

“We are always trying to find how we can enhance our public safety operations, [and] how we can protect our public in the best way that we can,” said Philip Davis, director of Sagadahoc Emergency Management Agency.

CALM WITH CHAOS

The Sagadahoc Emergency Management Agency purchased Chaos the golden retriever this year in May from the Crisis Response Canines of the Midlands, in Iowa, using a part of the opioid settlement funding received from Purdue Pharma.

“The best way I describe him to people is that he is a therapy dog on steroids,” Davis said.

A crisis response canine is a certified therapy dog managed by a first responder handler that is trained in critical-incident stress management. Chaos can be called out to emergency scenes like house fires and people dealing with mental health crises to provide support for individuals and first responders.

Chaos has received training for situations involving gunfire and loud sirens, along with a mock situation of talking someone down from a mental breakdown. Much of the training took place at the Sagadahoc County Superior Court and integrated Chaos quickly with Sagadahoc County first responders.

Sagadahoc Emergency Management put Chaos to use by welcoming kids back to a Bowdoinham elementary school the day after the school went into lockdown this past September due to a nearby police investigation.

“[Chaos] brings so much joy into the community; he brings out the kid in everybody,” Davis said. “We have seen first responders where they have been decompressing from incidents and things like that,” and the dog “just relieves some of that stress.”

The emergency response agency has been showcasing the crisis response dog with the hashtag #calmwithchaos on social media, bringing more awareness of Chaos’ role to Midcoast Mainers.

THERMAL DRONE

Another notable piece of equipment the Sagadahoc Emergency Management Agency purchased after receiving its crisis response canine was a thermal drone. Sagadahoc Emergency Management Agency got the drone through a $5,000 Enbridge Safe Communities First Responder Grant, covering most of the costs.

In missing persons cases in rural areas of Sagadahoc County, the thermal drone will track footprints in the snow in colder weather and pinpoint the location of the person by seeing a person’s body heat. The drone can go into places that are not accessible for emergency vehicles, with the drone acting as an eye in the sky for first responders on the ground.

“We are taking on the responsibility of making sure we are doing everything according to FAA guidelines, having certified pilots and making sure people are aware when we are using it,” Davis said.

The Sagadahoc Emergency Management Agency is planning to create a drone task force team in the coming months, integrating different first responders who are required to take a Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 course — a certification for drone pilot licensing. The countywide emergency response agency plans to host some drone-training classes at the Sagadahoc County Superior Court in Bath, where trainee drone pilots can get hands-on experience.

The first Sagadahoc Emergency Management Agency drone task force meeting will be on Tuesday, Nov. 18. The Maine Emergency Management Agency does not operate a drone program; however, the agency supports several counties that have developed their own drone programs using available grant funding, said Vanessa Sperrey, public information officer at MEMA.

Another reason the Sagadahoc Emergency Management Agency purchased the thermal drone was for the natural gas pipeline that runs through the county, Davis said. The drone can detect hazardous vapors or signatures of a gas leak in the grass that can show up in the footage.