Monks a finalist for firefighting award

It has been eight years since Rockingham career firefighter Serena Monks began preparing her pet dog Samson for a life of active duty.

Ms Monks said it was no small feat to train the then 18-month- old kelpie cross to become an urban search and rescue dog, whose tasks would include sniffing out casualties trapped beneath rubble or mud.

She said it took more than two years and thousands of hours work before Samson became fully operational - and another two years before the dog met national and international search and rescue standards.

"Samson and I would be on standby for pre and post-cyclone, post-storm work, building collapses, mudslides and things like that," Ms Monks said.

"His job was so find people if buildings had been compromised. There was no margin of error, so Samson and I spent thousands of hours training."

It therefore comes as no surprise that Ms Monks has developed a comprehensive body of knowledge on the subject of training search and rescue dogs, and has added the title of trainer assessor to the many hats she has worn since starting work at Rockingham Fire Station 14 years ago.

For her efforts, Ms Monks has been named a 2015 Firefighting Awards finalist in the career fire and rescue service award category.

Ms Monks, who bade a final farewell to Samson last year, said DFES were training five USAR dogs to add to its cohort of two.

She said she loved her job and loved the idea of helping her community.

Winners will be announced during the Western Australian Fire and Emergency Services Conference on September 20.