As Mental Health Awareness Month draws to a close, Roseville Fire has some very exciting news to share about Ashes!
By Neil Sjostrom, Roseville Assistant Fire Chief and Ashes' Handler
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On Thursday, May 16th myself, and Ashes other handler Firefighter Kristi Sjostrom completed our certification exams officially marking Ashes' certification as a Service Dog.
While Ashes (and us) has a long road ahead focused on additional training to help her be the best Therapy K9 she can, this is an important milestone for all of us as it places an ‘official’ stamp on this new program for Ashes, and our Firefighters.
We are excited to continue to expand Ashes' reach and impact beyond the walls of our fire station knowing that mental health awareness is an important topic for everyone. We are incredibly grateful for the communities’ support in this program and look forward to opportunities throughout the summer to meet and engage with everyone!
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Ashes, a silver lab, joined the Roseville Fire Department in the fall of 2023. She was just eight weeks old. Her mission is to help soothe and calm our firefighters, who work stressful 24-hour shifts. She also offers comfort to other agencies including Minnesota State Patrol, Ramsey County Emergency Dispatch; as well as members of the public including families displaced by house fires.
Ashes and her handlers train with Soldier Six, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that provides veterans and first responders with specially trained dogs. Several generous donations have made this venture possible.