Medics train to assist Mass. police K-9s under Nero's Law

In an emergency, seconds count, and a lifesaving flight in a medical helicopter could mean the difference between life and death for people, and now in Massachusetts, police K9s.

Nero's Law, which went into effect last year, allows police dogs and other working animals to be treated or transported by emergency medical personnel.

"Twenty-four-hour veterinary providers are few and far between," said Sgt. Erik Ramsland, K9 Commander with the Massachusetts State Police. "If we have an extended commute, nothing is better than an airship that does … 140 miles an hour."

State police held a training session Thursday for police K9 teams and UMass LifeFlight medics at their headquarters in Framingham Thursday.

"Unfortunately, these dogs get hurt now and then," said Ramsland. "They're tough, they're stoic, they would give their life and we've seen that. Just a year ago, a dog gave his life for a handler for the citizens of the Commonwealth."

That dog, K9 Frankie, was the first ever Massachusetts police canine shot and killed in the line of duty. It happened during a standoff in Fitchburg.

His handler is now helping to train medics to care for injured K9s through Nero's Law.

"It's pretty special to take a tragedy and turn it into something positive," said Rep. Steven Xiarhos, R-Barnstable.

Xiarhos wrote Nero's Law, to honor Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon and K9 Nero. Both were shot in 2018. Gannon died. Nero survived, but wasn't able to be rushed to the vet in an ambulance under the law at the time.

Nero's Law changed that.

"Now, legally, if a dog is injured in Massachusetts, it can be treated and put in an ambulance. And today, it can be put in a helicopter ambulance," said Xiarhos, who was a deputy police chief in Yarmouth at the time of Gannon's death.

That transportation would use a crate, donated by Mass Vest-A-Dog, which supports police K9s through donations.

"The donations from the general public are what helps us provide this equipment," said the nonprofit's president, Dave Shilale.

The equipment designed to keep first responders safe from the highly trained dogs during an emergency.

"Making sure that the handlers are intimately involved really helps maximize the safety and transport of these dogs," said Dr. Matthew LoConte, an emergency physician from UMass Memorial Medical Center.

The protocol allows the K9's handler to be on board the flight to the nearest emergency veterinary hospital.

"As a handler, knowing we have people that care about our dogs, our equipment, our friends; they're not pets, but our partners. It's incredibly, incredibly important," said Ramsland.

Currently, there's a bill sponsored by Xiarhos in the state legislature to allow first responders to take advanced lifesaving training for police K9s.