CA Officials Find Success with Juvenile Fire-Setter Program

When a Shasta County child got in trouble for setting a fire in the past, there wasn't much of a way to tailor their treatment or sentence to the crime.

"We didn't even have a curriculum; We didn't have anything for fire," said Jas Shaw of the Shasta County Youth Violence Prevention Council.

That's why, in 2014, the council teamed up with the Shasta County Arson Task Force to form a special diversion program for local children who start fires. What they found was that, while not every child who starts a fire is eligible for the program at first — some are deemed such a high risk for committing a new crime that they need more intensive mental health treatment — those who do, so far, seem to learn their lesson.

Redding Fire Prevention Officer Patrick O'Connor and Shaw said that more than 50 young fire-setters have completed the program, and only one or two have gotten in trouble for setting a new fire since.

"The intervention we're able to provide is huge," O'Connor said.

It's this program that a local boy accused of starting two fires this week will eventually experience, whether soon or after undergoing more serious treatment.

It's even received national recognition as a "model program" from Vision 20/20, a program of the Institution of Fire Engineers-USA Branch that's dedicated to national fire prevention strategies.

Part of the philosophy, O'Connor said, is that the kids just made bad decisions and aren't necessarily bad themselves. It's not just about punishing them or preventing them from hurting others or causing property damage — but from hurting themselves, too.

"Over half the kids that start fires end up injuring themselves in the incident, and that's a huge concern of ours," he said.

Susan Day, executive director of the San Diego-based Burn Institute, said her organization's similar arson-diversion program has also proven successful.

"What we've learned is that many of the children just really don't have the awareness, don't have the education about fire safety and the consequences and dangers of juvenile fire-setting," she said.

Like the Shasta County program, Day's organization focuses on all children who start fires — whether intentionally or by accident.

Shasta County's program also features an extra layer of intervention — the child's family is required to attend along as well so they all learn about the consequences — including the financial ones parents may face. Fire victims and former arsonists share their stories to give extra impact.

Shaw herself is one of those burn survivors, along with her daughter. Because she sees first-hand how the kids respond to her story, Shaw said she fully believes that the program works.

"I get to really explain to them what burn treatment is like, and if they're playing with fire, they have to risk either killing someone or going through that horrific experience themselves," she said.

Of course, adults and other kids have a way to help preventing future child-arson fires, too. Being watchful and vigilant is important, Day said, since it takes a witness to report a suspicious event and, in most cases, an adult leaving ignition material out for a child to get it.

"If someone is misusing a fire in a canyon, it can put a lot of homes in jeopardy very, very quickly," she said. "Put those matches away. It moves too quickly and can damage so much so fast."

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