He’s a four-legged friend who’s helping make a difference in the wake of tragedy.
Auburn Fire and Rescue’s K-9 Riggs is trained to sniff out human tissue, blood, and bone.
He’s been working alongside his handler Auburn Firefighter Matthew Ethier for about a year and a half after the department got him through a donation. In that time, Riggs and Ethier have helped dive teams find two drowning victims in Central Massachusetts.
“Riggs can indicate within 30, 40 feet of the body, and the divers only have to search a certain area instead of searching a whole body of water, which can take days," said Ethier.
Days which can be tough on the families of victims.
“It cuts down on the wait time for the family. There's a tremendous amount of relief that comes. The quicker that we can bring a resolution to some type of an incident and Riggs allows us to do that effectively," said Fire Chief Stephen Coleman.