Residents in the Gypsum-Kipp area can expect to see some unusual activity this weekend as agencies from all over Kansas plan to conduct a joint training exercise for themselves and their four-legged counterparts.

Working dogs and horses are often used in search, rescue, and recovery operations, but have varying levels of comfort around one another. K-9 teams will be partnered with mounted patrol units to give these animals and their handlers the opportunity to train side-by-side in a controlled environment.

"The primary goal of the training is to practice integrating K-9 resources with local first responders and demonstrate capabilities in a realistic environment before a real incident occurs," explained Wade Waddle, canine handler and firefighter with Saline County Rural Fire District #1. "Both K-9 and Mounted Units are great tools, and we are excited to team up and refine processes for quick searches of large areas for missing and lost people."  

Team members from the Saline County Sheriff's Office Mounted Patrol, the Kansas Search and Rescue Dog Association, Tallgrass Search and Recovery, Great Plains Search and Rescue K-9s, and Saline County Rural Fire District #1, along with various volunteers, will take part in the exercise.