Child Firesetters - A Growing Statistic

Many adults can probably remember a time in their childhood when they were curious about or played with fire. Today, children who use and misuse fire are a growing statistic. The results of their firesetting are also becoming more serious, even to the point of causing death. This disturbing trend caught the attention of the Fire Service to develop educational programs and assistance for families of children involved in firesetting.

Locally, the Linn-Benton Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Network was formed to further address the community needs related to child firesetters. The Network includes all Fire and Police agencies in Linn and Benton Counties; Linn and Benton County Mental Health, Department of Human Services/Child Welfare, and Juvenile Departments; the Oregon Youth Authority, Department of Forestry, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Three categories of firesetting behavior have been identified. The first type identified is that of being a “curiosity” firesetter. These children are curious about the match or lighter they find, or have seen one used by a grown-up. They typically have no intention of lighting a fire and either don’t know or haven’t considered what fire can do. This level of child firesetting is relatively easy to address with basic fire safety education, and is unlikely to re-occur.

A more difficult category of firesetter to address is the “crisis” firesetter. These children intentionally seek material to start a fire, but still aren’t necessarily aware of the potential consequences of starting a fire. Their behavior is typically related to a stressful situation, like divorce, death, a move, or as a result of anger. These cases can involve a number of agencies from the Linn-Benton Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Network.

The last category is a “delinquent” firesetter. A delinquent firesetter maliciously sets fire and is usually charged with a crime, up to or including arson. These cases involve law enforcement agencies and the County Juvenile Department. The consequence of their firesetting depends on the child’s history and can include serving time in detention.

Albany statistics show a definite juvenile firesetter problem in our community. The Fire Department handled 37 firesetters in 1999, 52 in 2000, and 84 in 2001. Halfway through 2002, the Fire Department has already dealt with 50 firesetters.

Children of any age that display a curiosity for playing with fire or that set fires should be taken seriously. Keep all firesetting materials in a location inaccessible to children. For additional information or to seek assistance for a firesetter, please contact the Albany Fire Department Fire & Life Safety Educator, Wanda Omdahl, at 917-7734.