ONE of the most highly decorated dogs in the UK fire service has been laid to rest in Brynford near Holywell.

Tributes have been paid to Echo, a yellow Labrador who was the first ever Search and Rescue dog to join the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) in January 2004 and served until his retirement in 2013.

He passed away peacefully following a spell of illness at the age of 16 on Wednesday, July 17, surrounded by his family and has been laid to rest at the Pet Cemetery near Holywell.

Echo lived with his owner and handler Crew Manager Mike Dewar, who issued a moving tribute for his much-loved canine colleague and friend who paved the way for many of the dogs now working with fire services in the UK and will be greatly missed.

The GMFRS dog unit manager recalls the canine’s ‘greatest hour’ was when he was deployed along with the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group team to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, which he describes as “a hell on earth that no dog team could possibly prepare for”.

He said: “Echo worked tirelessly for 10 days searching collapsed buildings and bringing hope to devastated communities. As a result of his fantastic effort he eventually succumbed to heat exhaustion. The memories of this deployment never really left Echo and the horror he witnessed left him with nightmares for the remainder of his life.”

Emma Ward, marketing manager for the Pet Cemetery told the Leader that she met Mike at an event called Dog Fest in Cheshire's Tatton Park whilst promoting the National Military Working Dogs Memorial and told the Manchester-based fire investigator about the work they do at the site in Brynford when discussing Echo's age and health.

She said: "I told Mike to call me anytime to chat and he felt better about in trusting us with Echo after he met me. It was wonderful to be able to offer Echo a lovely send off after all his hard work protecting and serving people."

Echo undertook operational numerous deployments nationally and internationally and eventually became one of the most highly decorated dogs in the UK fire service winning a number of prestigious awards.

These include a PDSA Order of Merit, Pride of Britain Award, Hero Dog of the Year and also received a UN letter of outstanding performance. He also made a number of TV appearances and featured in high profile magazines with his stories of heroic determination in adverse situations.

As well as being a working dog, Echo was a much-loved family pet and, in his retirement years, he continued to engage in community activities such as meeting young people from around the county and helping us to spread fire safety messages.