FIREFIGHTERS will recruit a rescue dog to sniff out people trapped in collapsed buildings.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s dog will be one of an elite canine national squad of 20 paid for by the Government.

It will be based with the service’s Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) team.

The dog, which will be either a collie or springer spaniel, will receive specialist training for 18 months to two years to develop its acute sniffing skills before being ready for service.

It will even be kitted out with protective boots and jackets.

West Yorkshire Chief Fire Officer Phil Toase said: “These dogs give emergency crews the best possible chance to find survivors in collapsed buildings, as has been demonstrated in other parts of the world.

“I’m sure the dog will be of great value to us in West Yorkshire and we look forward to opening the recruitment process.”

Martyn Redfearn, the West Yorkshire service’s senior operations policy and planning officer, said: “The sniffer dog will enhance our already highly trained USAR team and our extensive search and rescue capabilities.”

The dog squad is being paid for by a £430,000 investment announced by Fire Minister Parmjit Dhanda.

London will get four rescue dogs with 16 others assigned to USAR teams across England.

They will be swiftly used across regions if an incident occurs.

There will also be a national dog duty rota.