Firefighter Marc Valentine and his dog, Val, both are in service to Montebello Fire Department have been activated and are currently searching the incident site in Orange County community of Laguna, about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
The landslide occurred early this morning and is believed to be related to the winter storms that saturated the Southern California area, coupled with the fact that Laguna Beach has been dry for nearly a month.
While 18 homes have crashed down the hill, some 350 homes are considered in danger. Search and rescue teams are searching the area to confirm everyone has been evacuated.
Marc Valentine received Val, a yellow Labrador, from the Search Dog Foundation and within twelve months of their pairing, they achieved Advanced Certification from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), the highest certification level recognized in this country. They serve the Orange County Task force and have been selected to be a part of the Los Angeles County Task Force International Team. Los Angeles County is one of only two Task Forces in the nation that may be deployed for international disaster assistance through the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).
Marc and Val have previously been deployed to local disasters that include the recent mudslide in La Conchita, California, the 2003 train derailment in the City of Commerce and the 2001 building explosion and collapse in Los Angeles.
Debra Tosch, Program Director of the Search Dog Foundation (SDF) states, "The Foundation works closely with local fire departments as well as the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services to provide the state with the most highly trained teams that are so urgently needed during disasters such as this. Sending in these dogs and having them search the area, provides a measure of reassurance that all efforts have been made to find any survivors."
The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide the most highly trained canine search teams in the nation. The Foundation is responsible for training over 80% of California's Advanced FEMA canine search teams. Website: www.SearchDogFoundation.org or call 1-888-4K9-HERO (4376).
SOURCE: National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
CONTACT: Margaret Logreira, Media Coordinator of SDF, cell,
+1-917-941-8527,
Web site: http://www.searchdogfoundation.org/
