Canine companions have long been a fixture of fire departments, and Morden Fire & Rescue is no exception.
Ophelia the dalmatian has been offering her services through the fire department for 4 years now with her partner Captain Jonathan Baumgart, the public education officer for Morden Fire & Rescue.
“We like to use her for a lot of our fire public education events,” says Firefight Sean Christensen. “She really, really helps us engage with the community about fire safety.”
When Ophelia is not in the community helping with the message of fire safety, she moonlights as the family dog for Christensen.
“I already have a dog myself, and when I was dating my wife, she wanted a dog as well,” he says. “Sarge, my other dog, [is] so my dog, so she wanted to get a dog that could be her[s]. She has horses as well, and [because of] that bond between horses and dalmatians, . . . we went with the dalmatian, of course. I thought, ‘how [fitting], we can use her here at the firehouse as well.’”
The origins of dalmatians and firehouses can be traced to the breed’s association with — and affinity for — horses, just as Christensen mentioned. For centuries, dalmatians have been considered a “coach dog,” meaning that they are well-suited to accompany horse-drawn carriages as a comfort and a companion to horses as they match their stride with impressive speed.
In the early days of firefighting, because the first fire engines were horse-drawn, dalmatians were the natural choice to accompany firefighters. They ran alongside their equine counterparts or led the way during fire emergencies. The medium-sized breed’s agility and speed was valued as much as its traits of loyalty and bravery — all of which make it kindred with the firefighting spirit.
Even after fire departments moved on from horse-drawn equipment, the endearing traits of the breed helped solidify it as an icon of fire houses. These days, for the most part, the role of dalmatians like Ophelia has changed to beloved mascot and a means of connecting with the community.
Ophelia’s name even hearkens back to the traditional role of a dalmatian by sheer coincidence.
"[She’s] not only a fire dog, she's also the family dog, so family [took] part in the name picking,” says Christensen. “Later, I found out that it's a Greek name meaning ‘help’ or ‘aid,’ which is so suiting for her role.”
Christensen says that in other places, dalmatians are trained for search and rescue missions and other jobs, but Ophelia’s role in Morden is primarily as an ambassador for fire safety education initiatives.
“Ophelia is part of our public education team,” says Captain Baumgart. “As a member of the . . . team, she accompanies us [to] school events and community events, so Ophelia has gone with us inside the schools to talk to the school-aged children on fire safety and life safety initiatives.”
Ophelia’s inviting appearance and nature is a powerful tool for Morden Fire & Rescue.
“We use her presence as an engagement tool,” says Captain Baumgart. “She comes in and she makes that fire safety talk [and] those discussions fun and relatable, and we find it's a great way to have . . . the relationship [between us and the community] kind of grow a little bit tighter.”
Captain Baumgart says that Ophelia always draws a crowd of all ages with her presence.
“She draws the kids in. There [are] times when we'll be out and about in the public at a community event where we want to push our fire safety message, and she's the one that actually draws the crowd to us,” he says. “A majority of the time, it's children, but . . . adults, too. Everybody loves a dog.”
As a part of her job, Ophelia inspires the community to think about fire escape plans. Captain Baumgart says that in the fire department’s mission to encourage the community to come up with these plans, being face-to-face with a friendly dalmatian adds immediacy and causes people to think.
“We find that we can use her as an example,” he says. “We use her as a family member. If she were with you, how would you deal with this?”
Community members who wish to request a visit from Ophelia at their event are welcome to do so.
“The best way to get a hold of us would be [to call] the fire station in Morden and just inquire about fire safety [things] and events that we can attend,” says Captain Baumgart. “Myself, Sean, and Ophelia are normally the ones that would come out. We can bring her and be at your community event or at your school, school project or whatever you’re [doing].”
The outreach is enjoyable for Ophelia, too.
“She loves people. She loves kids,” says Christensen. “She just loves being out there in the community and getting to know everybody.”
Once her duties are through, Ophelia shows some familiar furry-friend traits. Like any dog, Ophelia enjoys her runs and walks to get rid of excess energy. At home, she relaxes.
“She is such a princess when she's at home,” Christensen says. “She's the dog that needs to be on the on the couch, covered in blankets [watching] Netflix. That’s her.”
While Ophelia may not accompany horses to the perilous scenes of fighting fires, she is still a part of an enduring (and endearing) history of symbiosis between firefighters and dalmatians — and adorable to boot.
See the video below for Ophelia's stop, drop, and roll demonstration.
~With files from Ty Hildebrand~