makes to have a furry friend around the station - from encouraging workouts to boosting morale to, more importantly, reducing stress. These four- legged members know when consolation is needed and do not hesitate to offer comfort. Their display of intuition, specifically by Yara, was first seen and noted by our firefighters during a structure fire call that occurred soon after the program had commenced. During this call, one of our engine teams was called to a structure fire that was functioning as a dog kennel. Unfortunately, this was a very tough call; numerous dogs did not survive. Our fire crew was responsible for removing the deceased dogs from the scene. The fire crew did their job and immediately moved on to the next call. However, when they returned to the station, one of the firefighters, who struggled to process the dog kennel scene, immediately fell into a “cuddle session” with Yara. What had begun as an emotional moment filled with tears quickly turned into laughter as Yara licked his tears. At this moment, the firefighter could process emotion while simultaneously receiving comfort. Yara did her job; she could provide therapeutic support when it was most needed. As we enter our third year of the station dog program, the City is proud to highlight the positive impacts Yara and Jax bring to our stations. This program has proven effective and has become another preventative tool to address wellness for our fire personnel.
Man’s Best Friend by MARISOL THORN
Visiting the living quarters of our fire personnel, you’ll likely be greeted by one of our “furry” honorary fire personnel. Yara and Jax are the first station dogs in the state of California. A station dog is a therapy dog certified and specifically trained to live at a fire station. They are not traditional service dogs or assigned to one fire crew member. Instead, the program provides firefighters with the positive physical and mental health impacts of having a dog all day. Our firefighters can reap the benefits of having a dog who offers natural therapeutic support without explicitly requesting assistance. Instead, the program allows a therapeutic support process to occur more discreetly and organically for our firefighters. The program recently hit its third anniversary since its inception. In recent surveys on employee engagement, firefighters noted the difference it
PAWDICURES & STATION TOURS WHEN: 9:00 am to noon The first Saturday of June, July, August and September. WHAT: Bring the kids and bring the pup. We’ll be giving free firestation tours and dog baths from our friends at Camp Run-a-Mutt.
WHERE: Station 6 100 Lexington Avenue El Cajon, CA 92020
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SPRING ISSUE 2023 • MY EL CAJON
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