FIRE SAFETY WITH VICKI: Kids are fascinated by fire

By Vicki Schmidt

Attention parents, teachers, and caretakers of children of all types — If you notice a child in your care has a curiosity or experiments with fire, do not ignore it. Juvenile fire-setter intervention is a vital component toward reducing fires, especially home fires. As the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office notes, “Curiosity with fire is common, fire-setting is not.” Fire-setting is dangerous and deadly.
The statistics for juvenile fire-setters are sobering. According to the FBI, juvenile fire-setters account for nearly 50 percent of those arrested for arson. While curiosity, not malice, is often the motivation behind juvenile fire-setters, the damage they cause in economic and human costs is devastating. Annually in the US, juvenile arson and youth-set fires are the cause of more than 400,000 fires, resulting in more than 300 deaths, 2,800 injuries and $300 million in property damage.
What motivates a child to play with fire? The vast majority of juvenile fire-setters are acting from curiosity and experimentation. Others are seeking needed attention or may act from boredom or peer pressure. Very few, though the most deadly, act from an intent to cause destruction and from mental and/or emotional disorders. Whatever the motivating factor, intervention and proper referral to appropriate support services are key to preventing juvenile set fires.
Statistics prove that juvenile fire-setting is a complex behavior exhibited by children of all ages. The demographics are as varied as the motives and involve children who come from every type of family background and community setting. The good news is, information and no-cost confidential resources to help intervene and prevent juvenile fire-setters are available.
Once a child has been noticed as having active curiosity or tendency towards fire, a specially trained member from your regional fire emergency services will provide an assessment interview. Referral to the appropriate services is the second step. Many times, this may involve uncomplicated solutions such as joining a local youth group for improved peer support, or counseling sessions with a qualified adult to learn better judgment or coping skills.
Coordination with many types of service organizations is needed for successful juvenile fire-setting intervention.
In Maine, programs work to include schools, teachers, fire, EMS, and police departments, along with juvenile justice and probation/parole services. The goal is to resolve the juvenile fire-setting tendency in a child before it becomes an injury, arson, or destruction.

— Vicki Schmidt is a Maine state fire instructor and volunteers with the Buckfield Fire Department, as well as several regional and state fire training organizations.