Submitted photo Maya, a 2-year-old yellow lab, can sniff out arson accelerants. Her handler is Thomas Cantola, an arson investigator with Girard and the Trumbull County Fire Investigation Unit.

GIRARD — There’s a furry addition to the Girard Fire Department.

Maya, a 2-year-old yellow lab who can sniff out arson accelerants, has not only helped Girard, but Trumbull and Mahoning counties as well during her four months with the team.

“In both counties she’s been out around 18 times last year and two times so far this year,” Maya’s handler, Thomas Cantola, said.

Cantola is an arson investigator with Girard and the Trumbull County Fire Investigation Unit.

Maya joined the department in September, and fire Chief Ken Bornemiss said she’s a useful tool for the department.

“Having her is a huge benefit to us and the entire county,” he said, “But to have her here, it’s much more of a benefit rather than a bother… That’s why I agreed to (getting her) almost immediately, as did our mayor and safety director.”

Girard Fire Department has two arson investigators — Cantola and firefighter Jim Petruzzi. From Petruzzi’s standpoint, Maya is an invaluable asset to any investigation.

“If there is suspicion of some type of accelerant used for arson, she’s critical in that situation. The threshold of an arson dog far exceeds our human senses or even at a lab,” Petruzzi said. “Without arson dogs, like Maya, things become increasingly difficult.”

The arson dog program is funded by State Farm and is available to fire departments and law-enforcement agencies across the United States, according to Benjamin Justice, corporate responsibility analyst with the insurer.

He also said in an email: “Since the program’s beginning in 1993, the State Farm Arson Dog Program has placed more than 425 dogs in 46 states, three Canadian provinces, and the District of Columbia. All arson dog teams are trained by Maine Specialty Dogs and certified by the Maine State Police.”

TRAINING

Both Cantola and Maya went through an extensive, five-week training program, and that training never stops.

Cantola said the pair train at home every day. “We are always training even if we’re not intentionally doing so,” he said.

Cantola explained the biggest part of training is called scent discrimination. He said there are things in our everyday lives that have a similar chemical makeup as the accelerants she is trained to sniff out.

“We do scent descrimination to desensitize her to everyday things we can find in burnt houses,” Cantola said.

Maya also trains at the station. Bornemiss said watching her train there is a spectacle itself. He explained that Cantola will place droplets of various accelerants around the station for her to find.

Similar to a drug-sniffing dog, once an accelerant is found Maya will sit, indicating its presence.

“She’s very good at what she does,” Bornemiss said.

Cantola explained the training is based on a reward system, meaning once an accelerant is found by Maya, she is rewarded with food.

Maya is what’s called a 100 percent food reward dog. This means she won’t eat out of a bowl, get table scraps or any other kind of food or treats. Her food is solely given when she finds a form of accelerant.

“It’s her only source of food,” Cantola said.

At minimum, Maya and Cantola train three times per day, with the morning and evenings being the main times she trains.

ONE OF A KIND

Maya is also the only arson dog in Trumbull County at the moment, both Girard arson investigators said.

Petruzzi said there have been others in the past, but they have since retired.

Originally, Maya and Cantola were supposed to go through training early in 2020 after the retirement of Trumbull County’s previous dog. The pandemic slowed the process.

Cantola volunteered for the duty.

“It’s a great experience, and I’m really glad I got involved,” Cantola said. “Girard has been awesome through this whole process.”

Maya is always with Cantola. Wherever he goes, Maya is alongside.

“She goes to work with me and is always out and about with me. There’s a few places I don’t take her, but she’s always with me,” he said.

nhawthorne@tribtoday.com