San Diego

Local K-9 Rescue Team Shares Stories from Montecito

Firefighters from San Diego gave first-hand accounts of the devastation left behind by mud and rock slides in Montecito last week.

Part of the Urban Search and Rescue California Task Force 8 received the call last Wednesday to head north with a K-9 team made up of five firefighters and two search dogs.

Their mission was to find anyone who may still be alive under the mud, rocks and debris.

β€œI’ve been on fires before, I've seen structures burn, it's always shocking to see, but this was -- we took a bunch of pictures and it's still hard to describe.”  Heartland Fire Department Captain Matt Kirk, Stella's handler, said.

β€œIt was incredible watching him work," San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) Captain Brent Brainard said of his K-9 Decker. "He's done searches before but not for 10 hours.”

Brainard and Kirk spoke of the challenges facing the search dogs and the handlers.

β€œThe mud was anywhere from my calf to waist high,” Kirk said. β€œThat's almost [Stella's] whole body, trying to walk, trying to jump. Anytime she tried to jump on something, her back legs would sink in so it was a real challenge for them.”

Brainard recounted a time when he and Decker were walking through a sheet of mud and fell into a pool that was hidden below.

β€œI've been a firefighter for 20 years. This was like nothing I’ve seen before to that magnitude," SDFD Battalion Chief and task force leader Dan Froelich said. "We've been at hurricanes recently, fires -- this is a different type of emergency.”

Unfortunately, the team did not find anyone alive.

They do, however, believe they help bring closure to those searching for loved ones.

β€œWe did our best and gave everybody a chance," Froelich said. "And if there was someone to be rescued out of there we would have found them."

Contact Us