The Dangers of Children and Fire

Children and fire can sometimes be a deadly combination. Whether they’re bored or just curious to see what happens, fire can be mesmerizing to young children.

Their interest in fire can lead children to play, or experiment, with fire, all the while not knowing that just one strike of a match or one flick of a lighter can have devastating consequences resulting in death, destruction of property, hefty fines and jail time.

Facts About Fire Dangers

These facts from the National Fire Prevention Association make the danger all too clear:

• Fires started by children playing accounted for an average of 56,300 fires with associated losses of 110 civilian deaths, 880 civilian injuries, and $286 million in direct property damage per year between 2005 and 2009.
• Younger children are more likely to set fires in homes, while older children and teenagers are more likely to set fires outside.
• Lighters were the heat source in half (50 percent) of child-playing fires in homes.
• A child’s bedroom continues to account for 40 percent of child-playing home fires. USFA’s National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data indicate, where age was cited as a factor in a fire’s ignition by lighters or matches, that 37 percent of these fires were started by juveniles 10 to 17.

About the MCFR Juvenile Fire Setters Program

In order to help intervene with young people who have been shown to be a risk with fire, and to help prevent disaster from striking in the future, Marion County Fire-Rescue (MCFR) established the Juvenile Fire Setters program.

Since the program's inception in 1992, MCFR has counseled more than 800 children with only two becoming repeat offenders.

Members of MCFR's Prevention department teach a two-hour mandatory class, multiple times a year, to children and teens between the ages of 4 and 16. Through use of videos, classroom instruction and discussion, participants see firsthand the consequences of playing with fire.

Students also write essays on fire safety and prevention as well as hear stories from other fire starters.

MCFR's Juvenile Fire Setter's program will work to curb curiosity in the early stages as well as educate parents, teachers and other community members on how to identify children most at risk. As a result, Marion County could see a significant decrease in the loss of life and property as a result of juvenile fire play.

Contact

For more information, contact MCFR Prevention at 352-291-8000.