On September 15, 2104, RIT, a three-year-old yellow Labrador retriever and FEMA-certified rescue dog, was inducted into the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue unit. The dog is not the first four-legged member to join the team, but he is the first and only FEMA-certified pet in Florida’s Broward County Fire Department.
During the ceremony RIT’s colleagues, two- and four-legged ones, stood by him while he received his badge.
“It’s a very nice gesture being done by our fire department that just shows that he really belongs, and he is a part of our fire department,” Rolando Busto, firefighter paramedic and RIT’s handler told WSVN.
Busto has trained the canine since the dog was six-months-old, and to the firefighter paramedic the dog is not just a coworker but also a family member.
“RIT is just as close to me as one of my kids,” said Busto. “We spend a lot of time together training, so you become one-in-one with your dog when you have them because they’re your partner.”
Congratulation RIT on making the team!
