Children are naturally curious. Most fireplay comes from that curiosity. For some, fireplay is a symptom of other problems. We have a special program to help families deal with this dangerous behaviour.
What is the Youth FireSetter Intervention Program?
- Educational intervention session.
- Targets at-risk youth who have shown an interest in fire and/or have engaged in firesetting activities.
- Focusses on responsibility, character building, decision making and fire safety.
- We need student participation and parent support to help the youth succeed.
Children set fires for many reasons:
- To see how matches/lighters work and how things burn.
- To copy their parents or family members.
- Pressure from friends.
- To cope, cry for help or out of anger due to crisis or trauma.
- To add risk or excitement to activities.
- To cover up crimes and destroy evidence during other illegal activities.
Educational intervention aims to teach youths about:
- The power of a single match.
- The speed of fire and its uncontrollability.
- The consequences of fireplay.
- The laws surrounding intentionally set fires.
- Home and family fire safety.
You can talk to many people about your concerns
- Teachers
- Parents or grandparents
- Guardian or caregivers
- Police
All contact is confidential
- Specially trained fire staff hold the education interventions.
- Interviews usually take place at the fire station, at your convenience.
- We can refer youths to support agencies and services to make sure they get the help they need.
- We’ve dedicated the Youth FireSetter Intervention Program to help youth and their families since 1997.
- To set a Youth FireSetter interview, please contact our Fire Prevention office.