What is firesetting?
Most children show a natural interest and curiosity with fire. Even if they do not display any fire setting behavior, many children may be fascinated by fire and it is not uncommon for children as young as two to show an interest.
Unfortunately for some children this interest develops into something more dangerous.
Fire setting behavior can become increasingly serious and lead to injury, damage to property and death. There are also many criminal aspects that have long term consequences.
7 signs of firesetting behaviour
- Small burn holes in carpets or clothes.
- Charred paper/crisp packets in sinks or wastebaskets.
- Matches and lighters hidden in child’s cupboard, drawers and under bed.
- An unusual fascination with fires.
- Unexplained burnt objects in the home or garden.
- Signs of burns on the windowsills.
- The smell of smoke on the child’s clothes or in the home.
These behaviours should never be ignored and an early referral can ensure it does not continue into adulthood.
How we can help
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service provide the Firesetting Intervention Scheme; an educational programme for children and young people under 17 who have displayed fire setting behaviour or have played with fire.
The scheme aims to:
- Raise awareness of the dangers of fire.
- Illustrate the consequences of firesetting behavior.
- Teach them how to control their factors that lead to fire setting.
- Provides education on how to keep safe from fire in the home and what to do in the event of fire.
The scheme offers fire safety education with the young person, usually in the home environment by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Firesetting Intervention Advisors.
What to expect
After a child has been referred and the parents/guardians have given consent, we will make contact to arrange a convenient time to visit the child’s home.
The help and support we provide is tailored to the child or young person's behavior, interests and understanding.
We will also offer support to families by way of a safe and well visit which can share advice on fire safety and fit smoke alarms if they are needed.
Following our visits, we will make a follow up contact to find out if any more fire setting behavior has occurred and offer any further advice or support we can.
This may also involve signposting families to other agencies who can provide more specialist help or support.
Who can refer?
- Parents/carers
- Schools
- Police Social services departments
- Youth offending teams
- Other professionals
The scheme is not designed for children that smoke in their home environment or breach fire safety polices i.e. setting off smoke detectors or extinguishers either at school or within other settings.
How to get in touch
To apply to the Firesetting Intervention Scheme, fill out the referral form:
[Referral form]
To get in touch with the team, contact:
Telephone: 01743 260200
Email: fire.setters@shropshirefire.gov.uk
For a downloadable version of our Firesetter Intervention Scheme leaflet, follow the link below:
[PDF of leaflet]
Useful links
Online Home Fire Safety Check - Find out how fire safe your home is with this quick and free online check.
Resources
Staywise - StayWise brings together the educational resources of the emergency services and key safety-focused organisations
