The Rockland County Sheriff’s Department has added an accelerant detection K9 to the its Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
The dog is named Lloyd in memory of Spring Valley Firefighter Jared Lloyd, who was killed in the line of duty on March 23, 2021, while rescuing residents during a massive fire at the Evergreen Court adult home in Spring Valley. The fire also took the life of a resident.
“Naming our newest K9 in honor of Firefighter Jared Lloyd is a tribute to his courage, his sacrifice, and his unwavering dedication to protecting the residents of Rockland County,” Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco said in a statement. “Jared gave everything in service to others, and it is our hope that K9 Lloyd will carry forward that spirit of service as he supports fire investigators in their vital work.”
K9 Lloyd, a Labrador retriever, will be formally introduced at 11:30 a.m. May 20 at the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office in New City. Members of the Lloyd family and the firefighting community and local officials plan to attend.
Lloyd’s training can help sniff out cause of fires
K9 Lloyd has been trained as an accelerant detection dog.
Lloyd and his handler, Rockland County Sheriff’s Detective Sean Reagan-Ward, will support fire investigations throughout Rockland County and the region.
The K9 team will respond to suspicious fires and assist in major incident investigations.
K9 Lloyd and Reagan-Ward have completed the New York State 2026 Canine Ignitable Liquid Detection Program.
Named after a local hero
Spring Valley Volunteer Firefighter 2nd Lieutenant Lloyd died while responding to a fire at Evergreen Court Home for Adults in Spring Valley on March 23, 2021.
He was 35 and had two small sons.
The fire completely destroyed the facility. While 112 people were saved, one 79-year-old resident died.
The conflagration drew a response from more than 25 fire departments and emergency response units.
After Lloyd’s death, the state tasked Rockland County with taking over Spring Valley’s building department.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Meet Lloyd, Rockland’s new arson dog named for hero firefighter
Reporting by Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
