October 28, 2016, was a bittersweet day as Fire Marshal Brett Martinez officially walked his canine partner Jul out of the offices of the Suffolk County Department of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services for the last time. Jul has been in service since December 2007 and is retiring at the age of 11. She has responded to numerous fires within Suffolk and Nassau Counties, New York City and Schenectady. Brett will be returning to Front Royal, Virginia, to begin training his fourth canine partner. Brett graduated as a handler on November 8, 1991, with his first canine partner Ember and was in Front Royal on the same date this year, celebrating his 25th anniversary as a handler. He holds the title of longest running Accelerant Canine handler in ATF history.
– Fire News photos by Jim Dunn
