Juvenile fire setting is an international problem and it is a community problem, which requirescommunity action.

A typical year of juvenile fire setting,in the United States, results in:

• 230 people killed
• 1800 injuries
• 67,500 fires
• $235 million in property damage
• 85% of victims are the children themselves
• In some communities, 60% of residential fires areset by children
• Some experts believe as little as 20% of juvenilefires are reported

The number of fires set by children continues to grow in New Hampshire and throughout the world. Fire and law enforcement officers need to partner with parents, teachers, counselors, and community leaders to combat juvenile fire setting.

New Hampshire recently joined other states in making a commitment to combat juvenile fire setting by participating in the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) Juvenile Fire setter initiatives, and hosting a July 2003 workshop, presented by Fire Proof Children, Inc., at the New Hampshire Fire Academy. Communities and agencies throughout New Hampshire were represented at the coalition-building workshop. At the workshop, they received specific training enabling them to form coalitions and to develop Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention Programs within their communities.

The community Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention Programs collect and report juvenile fire setter data to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, who reports the same to NASFM, which maintains a national database. The goal is to develop community-based programs, as well as a reliable national database for juvenile fire setting information.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal has partnered with the New Hampshire Fire Academy, the NH Fire Prevention Society, and other agencies in providing training and program resources for Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention Programs, including a lending library of grant-provided program kits which are available in each New Hampshire county.

To obtain more information about Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention Programs, please call (603) 271-3294.

The following links may provide additional information on juvenile fire setting:

www.sosfires.com
www.kidsandfire.com
www.usfa.fema.gov