The objective of the Roberts Park Fire Protection District’s Youthful Firesetters Program is to reduce the incidence of fires set by children in our community, regardless of the motivation, through educational intervention and psychological counseling. While no rigid age limits exist, the Youthful Firesetter Program is designed to be most effective with children between the ages of 4 and 14.
Specially trained Fire Prevention personnel, who are veteran firefighters and specialists in the field of public fire safety education, administer the Youthful Firesetters Program.
The Youthful Firesetter Program has two (2) phases: voluntary and station adjustment. The major thrust of our effort, in either case, being educational intervention.
Typically, voluntary participation originates with a request for service by parents, guardians, relatives, neighbors, and school faculty following a juvenile’s fire setting behavior. Requests are also received from members of the Roberts Park Fire Protection District and the Hickory Hills Police Department.
Once the Fire Prevention Bureau has a name and a phone number (and/or address), contact with the child’s parent or guardian is made. This is the preliminary interview stage of the process. At this time, statistical and general information questions regarding the child are asked. Preliminary information regarding the incident is also obtained. A definite commitment by the parent is required to make an appointment for the Fire Prevention Specialists to intervene.
At the designated time and place, a Fire Prevention Specialist will meet with the parent(s) and child. The entire intervention process is explained. Three (3) questionnaires developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, are administered in accordance with prescribed guidelines.
A fire safety education program is presented to the participant
and his/her family. Topics such as general fire prevention techniques, especially
the installation of smoke detectors, home escape planning, and the necessity
for home fire drills are stressed. Other areas covered are the safe use of portable
heaters, “STOP, DROP, and ROLL”, and cooking fires. Each program is designed
for the individual. Special emphasis is placed on education regarding the specific
incident involved in the case.
The Fire Prevention Specialist reviews the case and completes the “Interviewers
Confidential Observations.” This information, together with individual observations
is the basis for educational intervention and/or referral to counseling.
Where the firesetting risk level is high, the parent(s) are provided with a referral to a Mental Health Counselor in or near their community.
Where only educational intervention is indicated, the program
has been designed so that the majority of the educational process is
completed with two or three visits to the fire station.
A follow-up contact is made to the parent(s) within a week to ten days to check the child’s progress. In the case of the referral, this insures that an appointment was obtained and kept, if applicable.
The Youthful Firesetter Program is specifically designed to be educational. We do not profess that this program is the total solution to the youthful firesetting problem. However, parents who have participated with their children in our program have indicated that the children have not repeated their firesetting behavior.
If you would like more information on the Roberts Park Fire Protection District’s “Youthful Firesetter Program”, contact Firefighter Don Huenecke at: (708) 598-6752
