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Why was this set up? 

The newly established Canine SAR Team for the Maltese Association of the Order of Malta’s primary objective is to provide trained search and rescue teams in an effective and timely manner in the location of trapped live victims as a result of a catastrophe like a building collapse.

It also aims to provide a service to aid finding missing persons where tracking dogs will be used to follow the scent of a missing person attempting to find them in the shortest time possible, and to provide a team of trained Cadaver dogs to follow and indicate on the scents of cadavers.

The team operates within the Maltese islands as a backup to the local government USAR team. It will also be deployable to Europe and Northern African Countries. 

The team was setup to combine the knowledge and resources of its founding members, to train volunteers and their dogs to search for lost people in need of aid and for victims of catastrophic situations.

It has already participated in a magisterial probe to find a missing individual after less than a year of training. The team is undergoing training to expand the services it offers to help local authorities and to get ready for deployments abroad.

The dogs are trained to work independently of their dog handler in potentially hazardous conditions and on unstable surfaces in order to locate and signal the strongest source of live human scent, even if the victim is buried several meters below the surface. 

The newly established unit trains and holds cadaver dogs within its canine teams, which we do not currently have in Malta. Even if the bodies have been removed, these canines can still be utilised to find any victims who have died under debris or any other human fragments that have been discovered buried or above ground.

Tell us about your call for volunteers!

Prospective volunteers can email us on [email protected]. Depending on the amount of time volunteers would like to commit, there are a wide range of activities that they can undertake.

Volunteers can choose whether to help train our pups in our searches – which would only take a few hours, to volunteering to become a fully kitted out rescuer! Being a rescuer would entail quite the time commitment, but working with the team is super fun! 

There is a vast range of roles available, such as logisticians, marketing, dog handlers, medics and vets. There are also fun activities volunteers can attend, such as abseiling, hikes and obstacle courses. 

Almost anyone can volunteer to work with the Order of Malta! Volunteers under the age of 18 can sign up as long as one of their parents or legal guardians accompanies them. Volunteers must commit themselves fully to attend all training sessions organised by the unit as these form a vital part of the many activities being organised by the team. 

The Order of Malta will provide all sorts of training, such as: 

• Provide extensive training to the member in the following fields of expertise:
• First Aid training including BLS – AED and remote advanced first aid.
• Casualty handling and immobilisation techniques.
• Remote Canine First Aid and trauma care.
• Basic Firefighting and more advanced firefighting procedures.
• Rope Access Training, working at heights training and confined space entry training.
• Canine behaviour and scent work.
• Basic and advanced canine obedience training.

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