Youth Firesetting Prevention & Intervention Program

Annual Statistics show that:

• Juvenile firesetting is one of the fastest growing fire threats in the US.
• Each year, fires set by youth claim the lives of approximately 300 people and destroy more than $300 million in property.
• Children are most often the victims of these fires, accounting for 85 out of every 100 lives lost. (Department of Justice)

If you feel that your child is at a higher risk of experimenting with fire, reach out to your fire department for help teaching your child about fire safety.

Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention Programs are part of a statewide initiative to provide community based juvenile fire awareness and intervention. The Worcester Fire Department YFPI program models the US Fire Administration curriculum and is used as a tool to help both youth and their families understand the dangers of fire and how to make better choices to keep themselves, their homes and the community safe. This program is confidential and is provided at no cost to the participants.

Experts agree that the best way to understand firesetting behavior is to look at why children set fires. It is believed that there are two basic reasons behind firesetting behavior: curiosity and problem behavior.

• Curiosity: Curiosity is the most common motivation. Children who experiment with firesetting are often curious about how fires burn and what they will do. Often, these children do not understand the destructive potential of fire. Though curiosity is a normal part of growth and development, caregivers who discover that a child is playing with fire should take it seriously. Intervention and education can help prevent a tragedy.
• Problem Behavior: In contrast to curiosity, this firesetting behavior is attributed to emotional crisis or mental challenges. These challenges can arise from issues such as moving, bullying, divorce, death of a friend/family member, thrill-seeking or willful intent to cause destruction.

Education is the most important component of prevention. The frequency of youth firesetting behavior can be reduced and the majority of children will stop misusing fire with intervention and fire safety education. Intervention strategies can include any of the following:

• Individual fire risk assessment
• School based fire safety education
• Home based, family fire safety planning
• Formal educational classes covering topics such as:
• Basic Fire Behavior
• Arson and the Law
• Burns and Burn Injuries
• Fire Safety
• Home Fire Escape Planning
• Personal Accountability

Agencies such as DCF, juvenile courts, mental health organizations, as well as numerous other private and public organizations may refer youth to this program. If more help is needed than the Worcester Fire Department is capable of providing, the YFPI program can assist in making referrals to resources that are trained to provide more comprehensive care.

For assistance with the Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention, please fill out the Referral Form below and a member of the program will contact you within 48 hours. If you need immediate help, call 911.

Referral Form