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Lowell Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Program

Background

The problem of juvenile firesetting is gaining increasing attention. Children account for a startling number of fires in our area, and all too often are the victims of the fires they set. Firesetting behavior is progressive and if left untreated has an 81% probability of being repeated. The Lowell Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Program is an interagency effort designed to identify, assess and intervene with children who start, play with or witness firesetting at the earliest stages. Firesetting is a complex series of different behaviors and the Lowell program links the resources of many local agencies to identify, refer, assess and provide appropriate treatment to children who set fires.

Referrals:

Firesetting in young children most often occurs in the home, and so parents are often the first to notice evidence of fire play, such as burnt matches, scorched materials, or the smell of smoke. These warning signs should be reported to the Lowell Fire Investigation Unit (459-6110). Incidents which require fire department response will automatically be reported to the Investigation Unit. As children expand their horizons into schools and the communities, the fires they set also move beyond the house. Schools, agencies and community members should report all fire incidents to the Investigation Unit immediately. Children under the age of 7 are referred for the appropriate services on a voluntary basis. Children over that age are referred to the Lowell Juvenile Court. While the program focuses on meeting the needs of children and stopping the firesetting behavior, the potential impact of fires on the community requires program officials to maintain keen interest in protecting the public safety through insuring the participation of the family in the appropriate treatment.

Intervention for Curious Firesetters:

Curious firesetters are most often young children between the age of 3 and 7 who set impulsive fires using ordinary combustibles and matches or lighters left within easy reach. These children need a safe and constructive way to learn about fire and satisfy their very healthy curiosity. In Lowell, the Fire Investigation Unit will refer curious children to a Volunteer fire educator, who will develop an individualized course of firesafety education for the child and his or her parents and family. Typically, this course involves 8 one hour sessions which are held at the Lowell Fire Department Training Center. At the conclusion of the program, when the child can successfully complete a knowledge and behavior test, a graduation ceremony is arranged at the Training Center or a neighborhood fire station. There is no cost for this intervention.

Intervention for Crisis Firesetters:

Crisis firesetters use fires to call attention to problems they are struggling with, such as recent changes in the families, school problems or a crisis or trauma. They set highly symbolic fires which point to the source of their stress. These children need a two part intervention which combines fire education with counseling. In Lowell the Investigation Unit will makea referral for counseling to the counseling center of choice, which will complete an in-depth assessment of the child and family. The results of this assessment will determine the course of treatment. Lower risk firesetters will receive fire safety education from the Volunteer fire educator at the Fire Department Training Center and out patient counseling at the counseling center. Children whose behavior is found to be higher risk may require more intensive treatment in an inpatient center. The costs for these services will vary on a case by case basis, but in all cases a sliding scale fee will be available.

Intervention for Delinquent Firesetters:

Older children and adolescents who set vandalism type fires in groups or individually fall into the category of delinquent firesetters. These children lack responsible decision making skills and are unconcerned about the potentially devastating impact of their actions on other people. The intervention for this type of fire is a structured program of community service and education. Community service assignments will vary case to case and can include community clean-ups, fire safety prevention projects for senior citizen centers or day care programs, or helping neighborhood groups address concerns of residents. Education is highly structured and supervised by the Volunteer fire educator at the Fire Department Training Center, consisting of a minimum of 12 sessions, each of which has home assignments. This intervention is supervised by Probation Officers and there is no cost for education and community service components. In addition, counseling for emotional, behavioralor substance abuse problems, which contribute to the firesetting, may also be mandated by the Juvenile Court; the cost of these services will vary on a case by case basis.

• Arson is the #1 crime committed by juveniles.
• 1/3 of all children killed by fire set the fire themselves.
• Left untreated 81% of firesetters will repeat their dangerous actions.
• Fire is the only object of mass destruction to which young people have access.
• Firesetters are not arsonists or pyromaniacs.
• Fire setting evaluation, education and intervention services work.

Burning Issues

In 1993, U.S. fire departments reported $8.5 billion in direct property loss due to fires. Insurance industry estimates weren't available, but tend to run slightly higher. NFPA estimates the insurance industry collected $9.3 billion in premiums through fire insurance policies and the fire portion of multiple-peril policies, to cover insured losses.

Also in 1993, $15.1 billion was spent on local fire protection in the United States. This number includes all costs of local career fire departments and out-of-pocket expenses of volunteer departments funded by or through their governments.[1]

How much do some leading heat sources cost?[2]

One pack of cigarettes costs about $2.35, so a pack-a-day smoker spends about $857.75 per year on cigarettes.

Lighters cost about 70¢ each. Usually, matches can be picked up for free.

The price of heating equipment varies, depending on its capacity and the type of fuel or power it uses. Portable electric heaters are least expensive, costing between $20 and $60. Both gas-fueled and electric-powered water heaters can cost from $125 to more than $400. Wood stoves can cost up to $2,000.

How much do fires linked to these products cost?

Fires started by cigarettes accounted for roughly 1,000 civilian deaths, more than 3,000 civilian injuries, and nearly $400 million in direct property damage in 1993. That works out to $6 to $7 per year in property damage for the pack-a-day smoker. If deaths and injuries are included, losses are $35 to $40 per year for a pack-a-day smoker.[3]

In 1993, children playing with lighters started home fires resulting in 145 civilian deaths, more than 1,500 civilian injuries, and just over $130 million in direct property damage. The property damage translates into about 20¢ per lighter, and if deaths and injuries are included, the total is about 70¢ per lighter.[4]

Direct damage due to fire ranges from less than $1 per year per household using electric water heaters to $2 to $3 for gas water heaters and portable electric heaters to more than $12 per year per household for wood stoves.

If deaths and injuries are factored in, losses are still less than $1 per year per household for electric water heaters, rising to $4 to $5 for gas water heaters, $18 to $19 for portable electric heaters, $28 for wood stoves, and more than $45 for gas space heaters.[5]

Think of it this way . . .

In 1994, a 5-year-old Mississippi boy playing with a 75¢ lighter started a fire that spread quickly throughout his home. The house had no sprinklers or smoke detectors, so discovery of the fire was delayed. And once it was discovered, 10 minutes passed before anyone called 911 to report the fire.

By the time fire fighters managed to extinguish the blaze, it had done $45,000 in property damage and killed two children.

It would have cost the adults in this household nothing to keep that 75¢ lighter up high and out of that child's reach. It would have taken less that $10 to buy a smoke detector with a battery, which would have alerted them to the fire. Better fire safety education, available for the asking, would have taught the whole family to immediately evacuate and call 911 after discovering the fire.

How much do fire protection products cost?

A battery-operated smoke and fire detector for the home goes for less than $10, unless it has extra features, like escape lights, which can push the cost to $25. Smoke detectors for a typical hard-wired system cost $14 to $18, while those designed for the hearing-impaired cost nearly $100 each.

Batteries for these detectors cost $1 to $2, depending on the brand.

The cost of installing a residential sprinkler system in a single-family house under construction is roughly $1 per square foot. This includes the design and installation, as well as the state licenses and permits.

A f i re extinguisher may cost less than $10 or more than $50, depending on its capacity.

1. Source: The Total Cost of Fire in the United States through 1993, by John Hall, Jr., NFPA, October 1995.
2. The listed prices are based on prices in selected Boston-area stores.
3. Source: The U.S. Smoking-Material Fire Problem Through 1993: The Role of Lighted Tobacco Products in Fire, by Laurence J. Stewart, NFPA, October 1995.
4. Source: Children Playing with Fire: U. S. Experience,1980-1993, by John R. Hall, Jr., NFPA, August 1995.
5. Source: U.S. Home Heating Fire Patterns and Trends Through 1993, by John R. Hall, Jr., NFPA, October 1995.

From the November/December 1995 issue of NFPA Journal.

You can e-mail Lieutenant Mike Dillon anytime at: mdillon@lowellma.gov