Archie, the county's fire dog, and his friend Woody are making a bid for film stardom with the launch of a new animation to highlight fire, road and animal safety.

The new animation, Archie and Woody’s Fire Investigation Adventure, is believed to be the first to feature a fire investigation dog. It has been put together by Phoenix Services, part of Cornwall Fire, Rescue and Community Safety (CFRCS) Service, to support their prevention campaign, to highlight key safety messages to the public and to encourage families to watch and learn together.

The first animation tells the story of a house fire where Archie’s handler Mark Smith, Archie and Woody put on their fire shoes to investigate and support the service in understanding the cause of the fire. Archie and Woody use all the cuteness at their disposal to get over the message to children and families about what they should do in the event of a fire.

CFRCS Service is one of a handful of services within the UK to employ their own fire investigation dog team. The dogs are used as a tool to search cold, post-fire scenes for the presence of flammable and ignitable liquids that could have been used to start or promote fires deliberately.

Julian Commons, Phoenix Services manager, said: “The work and personalities of our fire investigation dogs provide a unique opportunity to deliver safety and educational messages to residents of Cornwall.

"By moving Archie, Woody and Mark onto the ‘big screen’ through our animated series we are able to extend the reach and appeal of Archie, Woody and Mark both locally and nationally so that more people than ever can enjoy their adventures and safety messages.”

Paul Walker, chief fire officer, added: “We are really pleased with this animated film which aims to help families to understand important safety messages. Archie and Woody are valued members of Cornwall Fire, Rescue and Community Safety Service and we hope people from across the country will take them into their hearts through animation.”

Cornwall Council cabinet member for communities Geoff Brown said: “This is a fantastic project to educate young people. I know from our work on sea safety just how effective targeting youngsters can be. Not only do they remember the safety messages for years to come but can also play a vital role by passing this information to parents.”

To see the new animation go to facebook.com/CornwallFRS.