Kerry W. Foster is the founder of the Shreveport Fire Department Canine Search and Rescue Task Force. Additionally, Chief Foster served as our Task Force’s first Coordinator and served in that position for over 16 years.
Chief Foster now serves the Ark-La-Tex K-9 Search and Rescue Strike Team as their HRD canine handler. His canine partner is a black lab named Spirit.
Chief Foster has deployed on over 2,000 missions since 2001 and has recorded over 50 recoveries.
He retired from the Shreveport Fire Department after 37 years of service as an Assistant Fire Chief and B-Shift Commander where he oversaw 132 personnel across 22 fire stations. During his career he also served as Coordinator of the department’s Water Search and Rescue Dive Team which had over 28 highly skilled divers.
He is an instructor and Technician in Hazardous Materials Response, Structural Collapse, Rope Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, Trench Rescue, and more.
He was a founding task force leader for Louisiana Task Force 3, Urban Search and Rescue, a state of Louisiana response team.
Chief Foster has been an instructor with Louisiana State University, National Center for Biomedical Research Training since 1998. He has also been a registered EMT in the state of Louisiana for over 40 years.
Chief Foster holds Associate degrees in Hazardous Materials Technology and Safety as well as Fire Science. He also obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management.
For years Chief Foster partnered with canine Ranger. They deployed on numerous missions across the country. They also spent many days in the ninth ward of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Ranger recovered more than one dozen bodies during that deployment.