Dayton promotes firefighter to captain and OKs funding for comfort dog program

The Dayton City Council swore in firefighter Joe Teeterman as a captain for Station 1 at its Aug. 12 meeting, and the fire chief outlined a plan to add a comfort/therapy dog to the department’s wellness resources.

“Tonight, it’s a great opportunity to bring up Joe Teeterman for a promotional opportunity for Station 1,” Chief Hendrickson said while introducing Teeterman and administering the oath. Council members offered congratulations after the ceremony.

Later in consent discussion, Chief Hendrickson described the dog program as a preventive mental-health resource for firefighters and as a tool to provide comfort on certain calls such as CPR or death notifications. He said the city would use public-safety funds to cover recurring costs and estimated those annual expenses at about $10,000 for veterinary care, food and training support.

Council members asked how the animal would be handled on off-duty days, whether a single department employee would be the handler and how the dog would be supervised at City Hall. Chief Hendrickson said the dog would return home each night with a handler and would be on site only after training and on significant calls. He also described plans to partner with an outside trainer organization.

The discussion did not change department staffing or operational response levels; the promotion and subsequent consent items were approved as part of the meeting’s routine business. Council did not adopt separate, binding policy language about the dog at this meeting; staff said specifics about deployment and ongoing costs will be tracked through the public-safety budget.

The council’s action keeps funding for the pilot program within the existing public-safety allocation and directs staff to manage operational details. No separate vote or ordinance was required to authorize the one-time training or recurring vet costs beyond the normal budget process.