York County Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention Collaborative |
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A York County Collaborative POLICE * FIRE * SOCIAL SERVICES Working together for the Safety of our Communities
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Mission Statement To protect our communities from the dangers of a juvenile fire setter through intervention, by collaborating with the participating agencies to refer, assess, and ultimately treat the juvenile fire setter, resulting in a reduction of deliberately set fires that threaten the public's safety and property.
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Fire Setting Collaborative Effort In the past five years, the Biddeford Fire Department and other fire agencies in York County have noted a steady increase in fire setting among juveniles aged three (3) to seventeen (17). While some of these incidences have been determined to be curiosity fire settings, some juveniles have been assessed with more serious issues. In an effort to determine further services, the Biddeford Fire Department assembled a meeting of various professionals from the fire department, police department, and social services agencies. The purpose was to determine resources for juveniles in need of coordinated services. It was during this collaborative effort, the York County Juvenile Fire Setting Task Force was established. The goal is to bring high-risk fire setters to low and standard procedures that will allow communication between agencies and allow for more consistent and effective intervention. York County Juvenile Fire Setter Collaborative |
Children and Fire Setting Juvenile fire setting is a serious, complex, and costly problem for individuals, their families, and their communities. Juveniles commit thousands of fires each year at a cost of millions of dollars, and account for 40 to 70% of those arrested for arson. In addition to property losses, hundreds of individuals die and thousands are injured each year as a result of fires. In may cases, because of poor judgment, it is the juveniles who set the fires or are younger children who are present when the fires are started. Over the past decade, our knowledge about juvenile fire setters has increased. However, juvenile fire setting remains a complex behavior exhibited by children of various ages, with a variety of motives, who come from a wide range of family background and community settings. These factors, coupled with the lack of training and appropriate instruments for assessment have handicapped mental health professionals, educators, and fire personnel in their efforts to deal effectively with juveniles who set fires. Vaughn A. Hardesty, Ph.D. |
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What if it isn't play? If your child has already discovered matches and fire through "play" and he does not respond to your efforts to redirect his curiosity to fire safety, he may require a different approach to stop the behavior. If you discover evidence of additional fires, or the fire changes somehow (become more serious or deliberate); or you sense that your child is not just curious about how fire works, it might be time for outside help. A multi-session fire education program, geared to your child's level of interest and understanding, taught by a professional, could prove very effective.
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Where to go for help Many communities have specialized programs for children who play with or start fires, available through the local school or fire department. NOTE: Yelling at a child in a fire station, showing frightening pictures of burn victims, or having kids wash fire trucks are not effective strategies and may, in fact, reinforce fire setting behavior.
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Kids learn not to burn through Fire Setters prevention program - York County Coast Star 1/31/2002 |
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Director - Pamela Tourangeau, MEd, LCPC PO Box 2146 Biddeford, Maine 04005 Office: 207-459-2463 Cell: 207-592-1619 EMAIL: ycjfsic@yorkcountyme.gov |
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