UCT Vet Tech Program Assists In Nero's Law Training For Bourne Fire Department
A group of Bourne Fire Department first responders completed their first training course to give medical aid to police dogs this week. The training, which is now a statewide requirement, was done at the Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School with the help of the veterinary science instructors and students.
The first training at UCT was held on Wednesday morning, March 1. Fire Chief David Cody said his staff have already completed the classroom portion of the training and are now focusing on the hands-on practical portion.
The training is a product of “Nero’s Law,” which was signed by former Governor Charles D. Baker Jr. on February 15, 2022. The law allows medical personnel to transport and provide emergency treatment to police dogs and is named after Nero, a Yarmouth Police Department K9 who suffered life-threatening injuries in the same incident that killed his partner, Sergeant Sean Gannon, in the line of duty.
Wednesday’s practical training included things like first aid, CPR and other lifesaving interventions that might be necessary. The session on providing medical aid to dogs was run by UCT veterinary science program instructors Dr. Jean Bresciani and Elise West, along with sophomore and senior veterinary tech students.
Dr. Bresciani brought along her own dog, a rescued chocolate Labrador retriever named Romeo, for first responders to work with during the training in addition to the dummies the school had on hand. Training for the day included CPR, vital signs, identifying signs of shock, treating wounds and administration of intramuscular injections.
In a room across the hall, another session was being led by Barnstable County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jeff Creel and his K9 partner Dodo. Deputy Creel talked to the first responders about important safety measures for dealing with a K9 dog. Areas covered in that portion of the training included how to safely approach a police K9, proper use of muzzles, leashing, and how to handle or carry an injured police dog.
“We definitely couldn’t have done this without Upper Cape Tech,” Chief Cody said. “We couldn’t have done it without the help of Dr. [Bresciani] and Deputy Creel.”
Senator Susan L. Moran was on-site for Wednesday’s training and commended UCT’s staff and students for “taking this on for the community.” Sen. Moran was one of the many co-sponsors of Nero’s Law, which was filed by state Representative Steven G. Xiarhos and state Senator Mark C. Montigny in 2018.
“I wanted to see what Upper Cape Tech does best, which is hands-on learning,” Sen. Moran said. “As [Chief Cody] said, you can’t really get everything you need from a textbook. These are going to be traumatized animals. Some of them are going to be in shock, some of them are going to be in pain [and] reactive, and these dogs are trained on command to go after criminals and that could be a very dangerous situation for folks who are first responders. So this training is absolutely key to their safety, as well as to a healthy result for the dogs.”
Another training took place at UCT on Thursday for a different shift of first responders, and two more will be held at a later date to ensure that the entire staff completes it.