Sacramento Firefighters Releasing Pressure With Department's First Support Pup

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — You'll have to get in line to meet the newest member of the Sacramento Fire Department. There's a lot of hype around the latest hire. Emily is a Lab-Terrier mix that takes her job seriously.

"It was a lot of work. When Emily came to us she was a little bit of a wild child. And yet now she is down and calm and really able to resonate that for the firefighters," said dog trainer Cherie Flores with Paws for Life.

Emily is the department's first support dog. She lives and works with Deputy Chief Mike Taylor.

"If your car is broken, you go get it fixed. If your emotions or your mind is broken, you've got to go fix it. And this dog is sort of the avenue to the mechanic," said Taylor.

"I didn't know that it was ok to feel sad. I just thought that at the time, you suck it up," said Captain Rich Alamo.

It took years for Alamo to face the trauma and stress of being a firefighter.

"We come to help you. We're not the ones that need help," said Alamo.

But the support he needed didn't come from a human.

"Without my little dog, Macho, he was a little 25-pound Pomeranian.  He helped me get through a lot," said Alamo.

It's proof a pup can heal the darkest pain. That's why Emily is just the beginning.  First responder advocates with Warfighter Overwatch pledged to pay the costs for more support dogs.

"Any cost that the dog will incur going forward we will take care of to ensure that they're there for as many dogs and stations as we can facilitate," said Chairman of the board, Danny O'Neel.

Firefighters like Alamo, who is now part of the department's first behavioral health unit, are getting some special support just in time for the high stress of wildfire season.

"We want to get in there, reduce stress, have those conversations and Emily is going to help us get through the door," said Alamo.

Alamo will be the handler for the next support dog, named Ember. The department is expecting three more dogs altogether that will visit all the fire stations.