National Statistics

• 55% of all arson arrests are juveniles
• 32% of all juvenile arson arrests are over 15 years old
• 50-60% of residential fires are set by juveniles
• The United States leads the world in fire and burn related deaths

Curiosity about fire is natural in children. Most children will, at sometime in their childhood, explore this curiosity. But fire set out of curiosity can have serious consequences.

The Ephrata Fire Department has joined forces with other Grant County fire departments to create FireStoppers of Grant County, a juvenile fire setter prevention program successfully modeled in Washington.

Five of the most important aspects of the program are as follows:

• Coalition - Any fire setter program must bring together partners in the community to address the problem. Partners should include the fire service, mental health professionals, juvenile justice system, school system and private industry for financial support.
• Identification - Identifying the fire setting child is not difficult. Parents, firefighters, teachers, juvenile authorities all see the problem. Few realize that there IS help.
• Assessment - Once a child is identified as displaying inappropriate fire setting behaviors, an assessment is completed by trained individuals. Actions taken to mitigate the problem depend on the outcome of this assessment.
• Education - Most children receive comprehensive fire safety education once the assessment is complete. Some children receive education only after mental health professionals have worked with the problem.
• Referral - If a child's fire setting behavior goes beyond the curiosity level, referral to local mental health professionals may be necessary. Other agencies can be used if additional resources are requested.

Many children play with matches and lighters and set fires out of curiosity. The most effective intervention for curious children is fire safety education. It's everyone's responsibility to keep our communities and ourselves safe from fire.

If you would like more information on this program or if you would like to set up a program in your community, please contact Misty Fairchild at the Ephrata Fire Department at 754-4666. Your call will be confidential.

Participation in FireStoppers does not create a criminal record of the child and all materials are kept confidential.

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