Kasey Taught Me — Koorsen’s Fire & Life Safety Dogs Save Lives

Kasey Taught Me — Koorsen’s Fire & Life Safety Dogs Save Lives

STOP, DROP, and ROLL. A concept we are all too familiar with. One that most of us learned as children in school or with our parents. Such a basic concept, that does exactly what it needs to do: remind you of the proper procedure in the event of a fire. STOP, DROP, and ROLL. A concept we are all too familiar with. One that most of us learned as children in school or with our parents. Such a basic concept, that does exactly what it needs to do: remind you of the proper procedure in the event of a fire.

So how do you expand on it? Well, here’s one idea that’s proven successful. Incorporate 2-3 Labrador Retrievers to demonstrate stop, drop and roll — and other fire and life safety concepts — and you have yourself an engaged audience.

After the passing of his nephew, Jeff Owens and his wife took home a special pup for comfort. The two didn’t know at the time, but this dog would offer so much more than a soothing nuzzle during difficult times — this dog would be the first Kasey, leading a legacy of life saving pups.

The Kasey Program, a non-profit program sponsored by ESA Member Company, Koorsen Fire & Security, began small in 1994, and has now grown into a successful nationally recognized program that has traveled to over 20 states and has taught more than 5 million children.

In his 31 years as a firefighter, Jeff was always asked to teach fire safety at his son’s school. On a whim one time, Jeff brought Kasey with him, because as a house dog, Kasey was already learning sit, lay and roll over — which he soon realized was essentially stop, drop and roll. And this is where the idea of the Kasey Program began.

To read the rest of this story and more, download the 2018 May/June edition of ESA’s print magazine, Security Nation. Security Nation is a glossy magazine publication. This exclusive ESA Member Benefit is mailed 6x per year, including profiles of ESA Members, industry news, association updates, best business practices and more. For more information on becoming an ESA Member, contact [email protected].

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