Over almost 15 years, Heather has held professional positions as a firefighter, paramedic and canine search specialist. As a canine specialist, Ms. Jones has deployed to several tornados and explosions. Heather has worked extensively as a handler, foot searcher, and incident command for disasters, building collapses, wide area searches and human remains (cadaver) searches. She also has been a lead program instructor and coordinator for EMT programs, served as a Canine Search Specialist for Kansas Task Force 1, Kansas City Metro USAR, Kansas Search and Rescue Dog Association, Missouri Task Force. Her skills include FEMA & SUSAR Certified Canine Search Specialist (Type 1) with her K9s, Sheila and Brock. Heather is certified in confined space rescue, hazmat operations, GPS operations, canine down medical training, tech rescue, surface water/swift water ops, ice rescue, emergency terrorism response, vehicle extrication, structural collapse NASAR Canine, SARTECH I, II, III, Area Search and HRD Search. Heather’s canine’s deployments include, among others, the 2016 Chapman Tornado, the 2011 Oklahoma Tornado, the 2011 Joplin tornado and the 2011 Atchison grain elevator explosion.
