TAMPA, FLA. - For the first time since a suspect threw flaming liquid at a Tampa Police K-9, the dog and his partner are back at work.
Tampa Police K9 Officer Tim Bergman and K-9 Indo have been on leave for three weeks since the incident.
Tampa Police say after the suspect threw the flaming liquid at Indo to avoid be caught.
The K-9 had burns to his head.
“I knew I had to act,” says Tampa Officer, Tim Bergman. “I went right to the kit provided by Frankie’s Friends and grabbed the towel and use the saline for his eyes,”
Fearing for his life, Officer Bergman shot the suspect, wounding him.
Monday morning, as the pair returned to work, they met with the head of Frankie's Friends, an organization that provides first aid training and first aid kits to k-9 officers.
“We use the supplies in it to provide first aid, specifically to K-9 handlers, professional K-9 handlers.
We wanted to make sure they were prepared in the line of duty, in case something like this were to happen,” says Danielle Martin, Executive Director with Frankie’s Friends.
Officer Bergman was given another, new first aid kit, since he used some of the materials to care for Indo after the attack.
Cindy Roberts, who lost her husband in the line of duty several years ago, paved the way for Frankie’s Friends to provide the classes.
When her husband was working for the Tampa K9 department, he always wished there was a class where officers could learn how to treat an injured K9 officer.
Roberts was honored as a Lightning Community hero back in 2014. She was awarded a check for $50,000 from the lightning Foundation and the lightning Community Heroes program.
She donated some of that money to Frankie’s Friends. K9 handlers involved with the military, police and fire can attend the class.
“It’s nice to know that my husband was a Tampa Police officer and something that he wanted so much is helping K9 officers,” said Roberts.