Figure 1 Source: U.S. Fire Administration
Prepared by:
Crime Intelligence Analyst II Summer Surgnier
Department of Financial Services/State Fire Marshal’s Office
Executive Summary
When juvenile delinquency is mentioned, arson is almost certainly not the first type of
offense that comes to mind. Yet juveniles are arrested for a greater share of this crime than any
other age group. It has been reported that juveniles (under the age of 18) made up 55% of all
arson arrests in 2003 with more than 30% under the age of 15. Additionally, the United States
Fire Administration advises that children playing with matches and lighters are the leading
cause of fire-related injuries and deaths for children. They further find that each year, an
average of 3,650 children age 14 or younger are injured or killed in residential fires often due to
firesetting at their own hands. Often, parents do not acknowledge that children may be at risk in
their own homes, but as these statistics demonstrate, this is certainly not the case. Education,
prevention and early intervention programs are needed if such extreme measures are to be
avoided.
The Broward County Juvenile Firesetters Prevention and Intervention Program is an
example of a program developed to address the juvenile firesetting problem in Broward County.
The program is a coordinated effort between multiple partners which have implemented
intervention techniques with established firesetters and prevention programs aimed at reducing
the number of firesetters and ultimately dollar loss, injuries and fatalities. The program has
shown signs of effectiveness over the years, although difficult to evaluate for various reasons.
With further funding, additional personnel, and moderate improvements, this program has a
sufficient foundation for achieving their goal of reducing juvenile firesetting within Broward
County.
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................4
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ...............................................................................................................................7
BODY .........................................................................................................................................................................11
RECOMMENDATIONS ..........................................................................................................................................17
CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................................................................................21
WORKS CITED ........................................................................................................................................................22
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Introduction
On Friday, August 25, 2006 at approximately 4:00 am, firefighters were called to
respond to a fire which was roaring through an apartment at the Village Lakes Complex in
Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. As the fire trucks rolled on the scene, firefighters reported that fire
was emanating from what appeared to be a bedroom window. As they fought their way into the
apartment against the intense smoke, heat, and flames, they realized that it was in fact a
powerful fire located in the back bedroom of the apartment. Inside the bedroom, they attacked
the flames that were located on what appeared to be a set of children’s bunk beds. Luckily,
they knew that all the occupants had made it out safely and they were not concerned with trying
to look for the children who would have normally been sleeping on those beds.
Once the fire was completely extinguished, it was apparent that the fire had not started
from an electrical or natural cause therefore raising the firefighter’s suspicions as to what
caused this intense fire. When Detective Bruce Hoffman from the Florida State Fire Marshal’s
Office arrived at the scene, the weather was noted as being warm with not a drop of rain in
sight. After looking at the scene, Detective Hoffman and detectives from the Broward Sheriff’s
Office separated and began questioning the three juveniles which had been sleeping in the
bedroom prior to the fire breaking out. Detectives noted that it did not appear that the juveniles
had any physical signs of fire-play or firesetting, like burns or soot on the hands. However, after
each child was interviewed, it quickly became apparent that the juveniles were hiding something
when their stories changed and they contradicted each others statements. Finally, detectives
were able to get the five-year old female to admit that her "brothers had been playing with lots of
matches on the bed when she went to sleep". When she awoke in the early morning hours, she
saw the fire burning while the boys just sat and watched it burn. She stated further that "they
(her brothers) had gotten the matches from their mother's room a long time ago.” The juveniles
were subsequently released to the custody of their parents and referred to the Broward County
Juvenile Firesetter Prevention and Intervention Program. (Hoffman)
Figure 2. Source: SFM Case # 06-2942 -4- Figure 3. Source: SFM Case # 06-2942
The above fire scene photographs were taken at the scene by Detective Bruce Hoffman.
Figure 2 depicts the fire damage located in the children’s bedroom. Further, the picture shows
how severe the damage was to bunk beds in which the children were sleeping on. Figure 3
depicts an actual unburned match located in the children’s bedroom.
The crime of arson, in the state of Florida, is defined by Florida State Statute 806. An
arson occurs when a person willfully and unlawfully, or while in the commission of any felony,
causes damages by the use of fire or explosion to any dwelling, whether occupied or not; any
structure usually occupied by persons such as a jail or hospital; or to a dwelling that could
reasonably believed to be occupied. Further, the term structure is defined as any building of
any kind, any enclosed area with a roof over it, any real property and appurtenances thereto,
any tent or other portable building, and any vehicle, vessel, watercraft, or aircraft. ("2006
Florida State Statute") Federally, the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program maintained by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines arson as any willful or malicious burning or
attempting to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor
vehicle or aircraft, or personal property of another, etc. (U.S. Department of Justice, UCR)
The statistics on arson indicates that the rate of the crime, for adults, has actually
decreased in the United States and Canada in the past few decades. According to the National
Fire Protection Association, the “rates of intentional fires and arson offenses, in structures or
vehicles, relative to population, have been substantially downward since 1980.” Further, they
report a decrease of 6.8% from 2003 to 2004. Despite this fact, however, it has been reported
that juveniles (under the age of 18) made up 55% of all arson arrests in 2003 with more than
30% under the age of 15. A final alarming statistic shows that juveniles under the age of 10
make up 3% of arson arrests, the highest of any other crime reported to the FBI. (Fireproof
Children/Prevention First 15) It must be noted that the crime of arson has still occurred during a
firesetting event if it meets all of the other statute requirements.
The mission of the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office is to reduce the loss of life and
property to fire and other disasters statewide through internal and external leadership,
standards and training, prevention and education, and fire and arson investigation. Part of this
mission includes the issue of juvenile firesetting. Sworn law enforcement, civilian and fire
prevention employees participate in firesetting prevention and various life-safety programs and
events throughout the state including, but not limited to, Hillsborough, West Palm, and Broward
Counties.
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Figure 4. Source: SFM Pictures from various juvenile and life safety events throughout
the SE Region
As indicated, not only by the statistics reported on the topic of arson by juveniles, but
also the example of juvenile firesetting already discussed, the issue of juvenile firesetting is
clearly a problem that needs to be addressed by the community, including the criminal justice
system and the fire service. This assessment will address the topic of juvenile firesetters and
intervention and prevention programs, specifically in Broward County, thus attempting to
establish what can be done to combat the dangerous crime of arson by juveniles.
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Historical Background
When juvenile delinquency is mentioned, arson is almost certainly not the first type of
offense that comes to mind. Yet juveniles are arrested for a greater share of this crime than any
other age group. (Garry 1) A general interest by juveniles, specifically preschool age, is thought
to be somewhat common and reflects a developmental curiosity. There are many reasons why
children are drawn towards setting or playing with fire including: the fire itself and the dynamics
of the flame and the object which creates the fire such as a lighter or match. Many children
believe that these items are toys and are not taught that fire is in fact a tool and can be
extremely dangerous. (Pollack-Nelson et al. 171)
Children have a natural tendency to want to imitate what their parents do as they learn
certain acceptable and sometimes unacceptable behaviors. This includes the use of lighters
and matches and ultimately fire which may come in many forms. The problem occurs when
children do not comprehend the multiple hazards that are associated with fire. (Pollack-Nelson
et al. 171) Children learn that fire, in its many forms, can be fun and exciting. For example,
birthday candles, campfires, and barbeques. Fire is inviting to children because it is colorful and
seems relatively harmless since it can be extinguished with by simply blowing it out. Ultimately
fire becomes the perfect toy: colorful, animated, and responsive. (Fireproof Children/Prevention
First 25)
Fires that are deemed “curiosity” fires are set by children who do not have the intention
to start a fire or cause damage to anything and are often referred to as fireplay. The problem
with utilizing the term curious is that children often know what fire is and what it can do and in
fact are really seeking a sense of empowerment from the fire. (Fireproof Children/Prevention
First 26) The fact that they are just curious does not mean that it can not result in a large and/or
deadly fire. Firesetting can further be divided into categories including: crisis, delinquent, and
pathological. The crisis firesetter sets fires as a way to receive attention, as a response to a
recent trauma, or as a call for help. Delinquent firesetters includes many behaviors, from
boredom and peer pressure to expression of negative emotion. Finally, pathological firesetters
display symptoms of a conduct disorder including an increase in the severity or delinquency
related behaviors, or receiving pleasure or excitement resulting from the firesetting. (Faranda
and Raikin 20) As discussed earlier, the crime of arson per state statute requires a willful and
unlawful component. It is important to determine which juveniles are curious firesetters and
which set fires willfully for another purpose.
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The United States Fire Administration advises that children playing with matches and
lighters are the leading cause of fire-related injuries and deaths for children. They further find
that each year, an average of 3,650 children age 14 or younger are injured or killed in
residential fires. Additionally, 40% of the casualties are under the age of 5 and 70% are under
the age of 10. ("Home Fire Safety") The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2005,
found that 18% of fatal unintentional injuries for children between the ages of three and five
were caused by fire and burns. (Fireproof Children/Prevention First 15) There have been
differing attempts made to combat the problem of firesetting and the injuries and deaths caused
by fire, especially in the preschool age range.
In order to address this issue of burn injuries, the Flammable Fabrics Act in the 1970's
requires that children's sleepwear (sizes 0-6X) be flame retardant. It is estimated that this act
alone led to a decrease of 95% of deaths and injuries relating to fires. The problem that arises,
however, is that parents put children in “daywear”, such as tee shirts, which are not fire
retardant. Parental education and knowledge to purchase and utilize only fire retardant
sleepwear for their children must be a necessary component of reducing fire related injuries and
deaths involving children. ("Children and Fire")
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) completed a study of
the ability of children to utilize lighters in the early 1990’s. Their study determined that many
novelty lighters often resembled cartoon characters, animals, or other figures attractive to
children. Further, they found that children as young as two years old could in fact operate a
lighter, thus making them capable of starting a serious and even possibly deadly fire. In June of
1993, the CPSC established a mandatory safety standard requiring that 85% of all cigarette
lighters manufactured in the United States or imported to be child-resistant. The new standard,
which took effect in 1994, required that all disposable lighters, butane lighters, and most novelty
lighters produce a signal instead of a flame. The standard adds a second step in order to ignite
a lighter. This second step, according to the CPSC, requires reasoning or cognitive skills in
order to depress a small button or lift a simple tab before lighting the flame. ("Child-Resistant
Lighters Protect Young Children")
The CPSC reported in 2000 that this change assisted in the dramatic drop, 43%, of
juvenile firesetting and fire-related deaths. Further, injuries relating to lighter fires also declined,
by 49%, from 1,600 in 1994 to 810 in 1998. In 1993, 240 deaths were reported and 130 were
reported in 1998. Overall, they found that residential fires resulting from juvenile firesettings
dropped from 11,100 fires in 1993 to 6,100 fires in 1998, a 45% reduction. The final conclusion
by the CPSC estimated that 4,800 fires, 130 deaths, 950 injuries and $76.4 million in property
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damage were prevented because of the cigarette lighter safety standard in 1998 alone. ("Child-
Resistant Lighters Bring Down Fire Deaths")
# of Injuries
1800
1600
1600
1400
1200
# of Injuries
1000
810
800
600
400
200
0
1
1998 2
1994
Year
# of Fatalities
300
250 240
200
# of Fatalities
150
130
100
50
0
1993 1998
Year
-9-
# of Structure Fires
12000
11,100
10000
8000
# of Fires
6,100
6000
4000
2000
0
1993 1998
Year
Despite the attempts and apparent success to reduce the involvement of children and
fire, the problem is still evident. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, juveniles set
approximately 35,000 fires annually with about 8,000 occurring in the home. These fires result
in about 150 deaths and an estimated dollar loss of $200 million each year. (Curious Kids Set
Fires 1) Often, parents do not acknowledge that children may be at risk in their own homes, but
as these statistics demonstrate, this is certainly not the case. Education, prevention and early
intervention programs are needed if such extreme measures are to be avoided. (Garry 1)
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Body
One such example of an education, prevention, and intervention program includes
Broward County’s Juvenile Firesetter Prevention and Intervention Program. The program was
developed in 1990 under the direction of the Broward County Fire Chief’s Association with a
goal to develop an affiliation between all local police municipalities, fire agencies, and other
emergency response agencies throughout the county in order to provide services to children
and families who are involved with firesetting or fire play. (Faranda & Raikin 12) At the time of
development, Broward County consisted of approximately 1.6 million people living within 29
different communities with a total of 22 fire departments. (Raikin 3)
The program was established with the realization that the problem of juvenile firesetting
and fire play is a complicated problem requiring community attention. During the original
development, input as to what the role and responsibilities for each participant was obtained
from each involved partner and a memorandum of understanding was signed by each partner in
order to develop and facilitate the program. (Raikin 3)
Since its inception, the program has evolved and currently operates in conjunction with
the Broward County Fire Chief’s Association which represents all local fire agencies throughout
the county, the State of Florida Fire Marshal’s Office/Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations,
Family Central Inc., Broward Sheriff’s Office, Broward County State Attorney’s Office, Florida
Department of Children and Families (DCF-District X), Division of Juvenile Justice, and the
Broward County School Board/Special Investigations Unit. (Faranda & Raikin 13)
The Broward County Fire Chief’s Association’s responsibility is to ensure the
organization, coordination, and management of the program including: providing a program
coordinator which is responsible for multi-agency coordination, referral system management,
and records management; development and implementation of curriculum for Fire Safety
Workshops and school/community programs; establishment and maintenance of a statistical
database; and other various tasks. At the program’s foundation, the Broward County Fire
Chief’s Association empowered the Broward County Fire Rescue, Fire Marshal’s Office to serve
as the program coordinator, currently known as the Broward County Sheriff’s Fire Rescue, Fire
Marshal's Bureau. (Raikin 5) As stated earlier, each partner has specific roles and
responsibilities within the program, but the main goal is to cooperate with the other partners and
share information among each others.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office serves as the lead law enforcement agency and works in
conjunction with all local fire service and law enforcement personnel including the State of
Florida’s Fire Marshal’s Office, Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations. Together, the law
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enforcement partners investigate fires involving juvenile firesetters, including cause and origin,
the extent of the juvenile’s involvement, and any other underlying issues that may be causing
the firesetting behavior. (Raikin 7) The law enforcement support within the program also
includes the School Board of Broward County and their Special Investigation Unit (SIU). They
assist the program by monitoring truancy activities and occurrences of firesetter behaviors on
school property. Ultimately, this law enforcement arm allows for formal legal action should the
situation warrant it. (Raikin 10)
Juveniles are referred to the program from 3 distinct sources: 1) a fire investigator or law
enforcement officer, 2) mandated by a judge or juvenile justice member, or 3) voluntary parental
referral. All referrals over the age of seven, except parental voluntary admissions, have a
juvenile transcript on file with the State Attorney’s Office. (Faranda & Raikin 13) This age is
considered the “age of culpability” meaning they should be able to understand the
consequences of firesetting. The Department of Children and Families and the Broward County
State Attorney’s Office, Juvenile Division, both play important roles within the program by
screening and referring juveniles who have committed arson offenses to the diversionary
programs so that they can receive the opportunity to benefit from what the program has to offer.
(Raikin 10) Once this referral takes place, the referral is sent to the Broward County Fire
Marshal’s Office where it is documented electronically into a tracking database and then
delivered to Family Central, Inc. They are the sole partner responsible for the clinical interview
of the juvenile including gathering details related to the firesetting incident, clinical assessment,
and development of appropriate treatment. Perhaps the most crucial time for the juvenile
occurs between the time in which the fire occurs and they are referred to the program and when
they actually undergo the assessment and receive assistance. An attempt is made to contact
the juvenile within five days and if no contact is made within sixty days, the juvenile referral is
returned to the Broward County Fire Marshal’s Office. (Faranda & Raikin 13)
Each juvenile receives a full-scale, comprehensive, and documented psychosocial
assessment to address risk and receptiveness to change through treatment. The clinical
assessment is conducted by a licensed counselor which consists of a semi-structured interview
with the juvenile and family. The assessment consists of a scheduled individual psychological
assessment, individual session, supervised and assisted testing. The test results, intake, and
interview information is then compiled into a comprehensive written report within four weeks of
the initial referral. (Palmer) Once the juvenile has completed the assessment, parents and
children are directed to the appropriate clinical and social services, if necessary. Families that
have private health insurance have the option to take their child to counseling services of their
choice and families that do not have either insurance or money to pay for counseling are given a
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referral to a community based mental health provider which might include Family Central, Inc.
(Faranda & Raikin 15)
Each family and child is required to attend a fire safety workshop given by fire prevention
personnel and law enforcement officers. The workshop’s primary goal is to provide fire
prevention tips, fire safety education, and firesetters awareness to not only the children, but
equally important, the parents and families as well. The workshop provides vital, life-saving
information such as candle safety, electrical safety, heating safety, kitchen safety, exit drills in
the home, and always having two ways out of the house in the case of a fire. The juvenile and
family are provided pre and post tests to track obtained knowledge. (Palmer)
Ninety days after the juvenile successfully completes the fire setter workshop, a four
question follow-up telephonic survey is administered to see if the juvenile has continued with at-
risk fire behaviors. (Palmer) Follow-up surveys and a six-month monitoring process complete
the program, which has proven highly successful in reducing recidivism, which is estimated to
be around 4%. By offering fire safety education instruction and community outreach
presentations, the programs primary goal is to reduce incidents of injury, property loss and
death. (Raiken 2)
Figure 5. Source: Broward County Firesetter Program
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In October 2003, the program went through some changes which began when funding
was received from the Children Services Council through a grant opportunity aimed at
enhancing and supporting the original program. The funding provided the staffing necessary to
efficiently manage the program, money to complete in depth clinical assessments through a
contracted psychologist, establishment of a structured educational workshop, and continuous
community outreach education within Broward County. By April 2004, the program was fully
staffed, thus enabling the program with many tools, including the ability to track their
effectiveness and the recidivism rate of the juvenile firesetters referred to the program.
As obvious by the title of the program, it consists of many components including
intervention with juvenile firesetters and the prevention of future and/or repeat firesetters. In
order to effectively evaluate the success of the program, each aspect must be evaluated
individually. The intervention component has gone through some modifications over the past
few years, but one aspect that has remained constant is the involvement of fire personnel in the
workshops. They serve a vital role in the workshops by teaching juveniles and their families life-
saving fire safety tips, especially since many of the firefighters, inspectors, and investigators
were on-scene with the respective juvenile(s), and know what they did and how much damage
they caused. Additionally, the intervention aspect encompasses the intake and assessment of
juveniles by a mental health professional so that the appropriate counseling or assistance can
be obtained if necessary. Both aspects are equally important and work hand-in-hand to achieve
the same goal, reducing the recidivism rate of the juvenile firesetters, and avoiding further entry
into the Juvenile Justice System.
The problem that arises when evaluating statistical data for juvenile firesetters is that
municipal fire departments are not required to report to the Florida Fire Incident Reporting
System (FFIRS). Reporting is strictly done on a voluntary basis depending on administrative
policies and decisions. (Faranda 7) Further, the data that is reported to the National Fire
Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) is limited as well with only an estimated 18,000 out of
33,000 fire departments in the United States reporting. (Fireproof Children/Prevention First 132)
According to NFIRS own website, “the NFIRS database comprises roughly one half of all
reported fires that occur annually.” ("About NFIRS") This makes the crime of arson and the
firesetter problem difficult to evaluate, as well as the recidivism rate for the offenders, difficult to
evaluate. (Faranda 7)
The program has attempted to maintain their statistics, but this continues to be a work in
progress, mainly because the reporting systems utilized have changed over the years. Since
the program’s inception, nearly 3,000 families in Broward County have been served. Prior to
1997, no statistical data is available, but in 1997 the recidivism rate was estimated to be at
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4.1%. The rate was 4.6% from 2000 to 2003, staying below the goal of a 5% recidivism rate.
The court-mandated educational component for the juveniles and their families over the age of
seven has been credited with achieving such a low recidivism rate, although such a claim is
difficult to prove or disprove. (Faranda 16)
The statistics from the past five years have indicated that the rate of juvenile completion
of the program has remained consistent, although the overall number of referrals has slightly
decreased. The number of juveniles completing the program within the referred fiscal year has
also remained constant, with one small decrease during fiscal year 2005/2006. The program
drastically increased the number of family members participating in the education and
prevention workshops between fiscal years 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 and between 2005/2006
and 2006/2007, all other years have remained somewhat consistent with an average of 231
participants per fiscal year. (Palmer)
Juvenile Firesetter Prevention and Intervention Program Assessment,
Workshop, and Community Outreach Statistics
June 1, 2004- September 30, 2009
FY FY FY FY FY FY Grand
Description 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 Total
# of juveniles referred to JFPIP 151 219 165 196 161 176 1068
# of juveniles enrolled in JFPIP 162 94 158 146 143 703
# of juveniles completing JFPIP within referred fiscal year 159 92 154 146 138 689
Success Rate % of juveniles (completing/enrolled) 98% 98% 97% 100% 97%
# of family members attending JFPIP workshop 140 395 232 312 244 217 1540
Table 1. Source: Palmer
As mentioned earlier, the moderate success of the program has been credited to the
increase of the prevention aspect that has been implemented. Although this claim can not be
proven, the prevention aspect of the program is perhaps the most important component of the
program, as it aims to prevent fire loss and injury or death. Prevention includes school and
community presentations revolving around fire and life safety issues. This encompasses the
proper use and maintenance of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, proper use and storage
of ignition sources such as lighters, matches and candles, and finally, the importance of an
escape route, including always having two ways out of the house in the case of a fire, and also
having a meeting point for the family if they have to leave the home in the case of an
emergency. The program has continued to increase the number of community presentations
from 41 during fiscal year 2003/2004 to 415 during fiscal year 2008/2009. Further, they have
increased the number of participants from 1,226 in 2004 to 12,706 in 2009. (Palmer) In theory,
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the continued increase of community education programs and participants will have an impact
of the number of juvenile firesetters referred to the program; however on-going evaluation of
these statistics will be necessary.
Juvenile Firesetter Prevention and Intervention Program Assessment,
Workshop, and Community Outreach Statistics
June 1, 2004- September 30, 2009
FY FY FY FY FY FY Grand
Description 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 Total
# of community outreach presentations 41 224 273 408 457 415 1818
# of community outreach presentation participants 1226 9401 9790 13255 13915 12706 60293
Table 2. Source: Palmer
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Recommendations
The program, as well as the entire fire industry, needs a mandatory reporting system for
all fire related events, especially involving juveniles. This necessity was made clear with the
extreme difficulty encountered with receiving data during the course of this assessment. If a
mandatory reporting system were implemented which captured all juvenile related fire incidents,
the true effectiveness of the program could be evaluated. We could better understand how
many fires involving juveniles actually occur as opposed to only seeing those which are being
referred to program currently. As discussed earlier, the Florida Fire Incident Reporting System
(FFIRS) and the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) are not currently mandatory
reporting systems for fire departments. Departments are encouraged to utilize these programs
as they can assist with the maintaining and gathering of statistics, budget justifications,
establishing problem areas, and measuring the effectiveness of the fire prevention programs,
but many departments do not utilize these reporting systems. ("Florida Fire Incident Reporting
Section") The fire service is unique because many cities and rural areas still employ volunteer
fire departments. These departments are often under-staffed and do not have the time and/or
money to purchase computer equipment or pay staff to input the data into the reporting system,
even though the program is provided for free. Although making the reporting systems
mandatory would be time-consuming and costly, this would be the only way to obtain a true
understanding of the crime of arson and the problem of juvenile firesetting, on not only a local
and state level, but also on the national level as well.
The primary need of the program itself involves the clinical assessment which falls under
the intervention aspect. Currently, there is only one full-time person, Donna Faranda, who
conducts the initial intake and assessment of the juvenile and their family. The problem that
arises is the critical period of time that occurs between when the juvenile commits the firesetting
act and the time in which they receive actual assistance. As discussed earlier, the program
attempts to reach these children within five days, but that is not always accomplished for various
reasons. Often the family has moved or is non-responsive to the offer of assistance. This
period of time is crucial to the juvenile and his or her family, especially if the child is undergoing
some type of crisis which caused the juvenile to respond by firesetting. Additionally, it is
possible that if this child is going through a crisis, that he or she will commit another firesetting
act which can run the risk of injury and/or loss of life.
In order to combat the threat of another firesetting episode, the program could employ a
staff of intake personnel that could respond to the fire scene or event that might lead the child to
- 17 -
the program and conduct an initial assessment with the child and family to determine what
assistance is going to be needed. The intake personnel would be dispatched once the fire
personnel on scene make the determination that the cause of the fire was in fact due to juvenile
firesetting. Intake personnel would speak with the juvenile and his/her family to try and
determine what has occurred in the home to make the juvenile prone to firesetting. They would
also have the ability to observe the home, if damage is minimal, and determine if
parents/guardians are practicing fire safety such as leaving lighters or matches out in the open
in reach of the child. Along with the fire personnel and investigator(s) on-scene,
recommendations could be made immediately in order to assist the juvenile and the family and
to expedite the intake process into the firesetter program, including the psychological
assessment. This component would drastically cut down on the period of time between when
the event occurred, and when the juvenile finally receives assistance, which is especially
important if the child is undergoing some type of crisis.
In order to achieve this recommendation, funding for an intake staff would need to be
obtained. The most likely source would be through additional grant funding, or by reassigning
personnel within the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Fire Rescue. The Broward Sheriff’s Office
currently employs Child Protective Investigators who work hand-in-hand with the Department of
Children and Families (DCF) to investigate child abuse and neglect allegations. By reassigning
a team of current investigators, the program would benefit greatly from their existing knowledge
of Broward County, and their established contacts with DCF.
A secondary need of the program involves the availability of counseling services once
the juvenile has been referred and undergone the intake process. This component goes hand-
in-hand with the intake process, and is a necessary aspect of getting assistance to juveniles and
their families. If parents do not have insurance benefits, juveniles are being denied counseling
through Medicare and Medicaid. In order to overcome this obstacle, funding for additional
counseling services must be a priority. This could be accomplished through additional grant
money and an agreement with a mental health provider, so that a sliding-scale payment
approach could be established.
Another recommendation, which has been explored by the program, is to establish a life-
safety assessment in the home with the juvenile and his or her family. Currently, the only time
the child’s home environment might be seen is the day of the fire or event leading up to the
referral to the program. During the Firesetter Workshop, juveniles and their families are taught
basic fire safety issues such as escape routes, eliminating visible lighters or matches in child’s
reach, and even more involved issues such as the environment of the household. For example,
the living conditions of the home; is there electric, is there adequate food and clothing, etc. The
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ability of the program to conduct this assessment would allow the clinical and social service
aspect a better understanding of what is really going on in the juvenile’s life. Often, as one
might expect, parents might downplay the seriousness of their situation out of shame or fear
that their children might be taken away from them. This component could also be funded by
grant money or be absorbed by the Broward County Sheriff’s Fire Rescue Department and
could quite possibly be the same intake employees as previously suggested. Employees would
ideally have knowledge of not only fire prevention issues, but also an understanding of the
social work field.
The program has been successful with developing and implementing a public education
and community outreach component, and continues to increase the number of people served.
Since their ultimate goal is to reduce the number of referrals to the program, including repeat
offenders, this component is perhaps the single-most important factor because research
indicates that this educational component tends to have the largest impact on firesetter
statistics. Currently, there are only three full-time employees and one administrative support
person dedicated to the task of educating Broward County on the issues of fire safety. In the
past five years, the program reports that they had approximately 60,000 people, ranging from
pre-school age to senior citizens participate in community-based fire safety education. Although
this sounds like a large number of people, the United States Census Bureau estimates that
there was an estimated 1,754,846 people living in Broward County in 2006-2008, with almost
411,804 under the age of eighteen. (American Fact Finder) The need for additional personnel
in order to successfully reach the children and citizens of Broward County is a must, and this too
would require additional funding.
Miami-Dade County has established a program called the Children’s Fire Safety
Festival, in which they bus in elementary school-aged children to a local gymnasium to teach
them the importance of fire-safety. This is a joint effort between Hialeah Fire Rescue
Department, Coral Gables Fire Rescue Department, Homestead Air Reserve Base Fire
Department, Key Biscayne Fire Rescue Department, Miami Fire Rescue Department, Miami
Beach Fire Rescue Department, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, and the University of
Miami/Jackson Memorial Burn Center. Topics include stop-drop-and-roll, cool a burn, what a
smoke detector sounds like, how to crawl low under smoke, how to feel the back of the door to
tell if it is hot, home fire drill planning and practice, electrical safety, matches and lighter safety,
and accessing the 9-1-1 emergency system. They estimate that they have taught over 60,000
children over the past twenty-two years during fire prevention week, which is usually in the
month of October. In addition to the need for more funding and personnel, a joint effort between
local municipalities, the Broward County Sheriff’s Fire Rescue and the Broward County School
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Board is needed, and this event can be used as a model for Broward County. An event such as
this can be established by a memorandum of understanding between the agencies to include a
plan to educate all pre-school and primary school-aged children on the topics of fire safety, as a
mandatory part of the school’s curriculum and/or during fire prevention week.
Figure 6. Source: Hialeah Fire Department Figure 7. Source: Hialeah Fire Department
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Conclusions
Although statistics on the topic of juvenile firesetting are limited, the complex problem of
juvenile firesetting has been established, as well as how to address the issue. The most
effective way to combat this problem is through the involvement of the community as a whole
including, but not limited to, the fire service, law enforcement, family services, juvenile justice
system, school personnel, and the court system.
Originally established in 1990, the Broward County Juvenile Firesetter Prevention and
Intervention Program, has shown moderate success in the reduction of juvenile firesetter
referrals. This success has been credited to the increase of public education and prevention
programs aimed at juveniles and their families, covering various life and fire safety issues.
Although established twenty years ago, the program continues to undergo changes as they
attempt to better their program. The further success of the program is dependent upon
increased funding, additional personnel, and moderate changes, however they have
implemented a strong base that will continue to be built upon.
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