Costa Blanca South
Alicante’s firefighter dog Titan remembered after life of heroic rescues
Heroic rescue dog Titan dies after decades of lifesaving searches.
Photo Credit: Alicante Provincial Fire Consortium
At the beginning of May, the Alicante Provincial Fire Consortium bid a bittersweet farewell to Titan, a trained firefighter dog who took part in more than 80 searches during his life. The courageous canine, a Belgian Malinois shepherd, passed away at the age of 13, and will be remembered fondly for his brave service to the people of Alicante and the first responders at the Consortium.
A courageous canine with an ‘impeccable’ service record
Titan specialised in the search for live victims of natural disasters, and during his long life, participated in dozens of searches, some of them in the earthquakes of Ecuador and Turkey, as well as in the floods of Libya. The dog also carried out important work in Spain, searching for people trapped during natural disasters like DANA storms among collapsed structures, or stranded hikers in natural areas.
The clever dog spent much of his time with Sergio Pérez, a firefighter from the Elche fire station, training together. Any small gesture the dog made would be noted by Pérez, alerting him to the presence of any live victims during emergencies. The pair became inseparable, and many of the comments on the announcement of Titan’s passing are messages of condolence and support for Mr Pérez.
Search dogs like Titan are also trained to let first responders know if there are no live victims, which helps to change the approach during emergency situations.
A trained search dog that became a member of the family: Titan will be remembered and missed
Titan became such an important part of the team of Alicante firefighters that a toy was inspired by him, a plush toy used to help reduce children’s stress in times of emergencies. The firefighters carried the toy in their vehicles during interventions.
“A very special partner has left us. An impeccable service record with more than 80 searches,” stated the Alicante Provincial Fire Consortium in a Facebook post about Titan’s passing. “Titan lived up to his name and to the #cpba. Rest in peace, buddy.”