Burning lessons: Program targets kids who set fires in the Corridor

The 11-year-old boy walks into Brent Smith's office, takes a seat and notices the ax in the corner.

“I'm kind of scared of that ax,” the boy tells Smith.

Smith, a Cedar Rapids firefighter, assures the boy he has nothing to worry about. The boy is in Smith's office as part of a juvenile fire intervention program because he intentionally has started fires, and his mother is concerned.

Intervention programs in Cedar Rapids, Marion and Iowa City are intended to help families and to reduce the number of fires set by juveniles.

Cedar Rapids' free program is one of four to be used as examples in training courses at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md. It reaches about 30 kids each year, most of them 9 to 14 years old, and has shown results. No juvenile interviewed in Cedar Rapids in the past five years has repeated the offense.

Fires juveniles start present big challenges across the country. Each year, about 300 people die because of children playing with fire, the U.S. Fire Administration reports.

Juveniles can be referred to the intervention programs through the judicial system or schools, but most Smith sees are referred by parents. Many parents, he said, want him to scare the child into never playing with fire again.

“That's not what this program is about, and that doesn't work,” said Smith, who has led the program for three years.

Inside a session

Smith speaks calmly with the 11-year-old boy seated across from him. He starts with basic questions about school and the boy's favorite TV show. For the first 15 minutes, fire isn't mentioned, but soon Smith delves deeper.

He makes sure the boy knows why he's being interviewed and asks for details about all the fires he has started. How many? When? Why?

With each question, Smith shows patience. He doesn't lecture the boy. This is a conversation, not an interrogation. Still, Smith digs for the history behind the fire play.

“We want the kids to feel comfortable with us and to understand that they're not here to get into any more trouble,” Smith said.

“That's very important. We're here to help the kid and the families.”

The boy fits the trend among fire-setters his age. He tells Smith he started the fires because he was curious about what would happen.

Reasons vary

Cedar Rapids Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow, who started that department's intervention program in 2001, said children who start fires intentionally could be crying out for help.

“I know a kid who started a fire at a playground, and the reason he did it was two kids were beating him up there,” Buelow said. “His solution was to burn the darn thing down.”

Marion District Fire Chief Deb Krebill, who heads Marion's program, said juveniles often mention TV programs or movies when she asks why they started fires.

“The last two I've had have talked about the show ‘Mythbusters,'” she said. “They love it and are interested in science. But then they're going out and doing their own science experiments.”

At least 300 youth fire intervention programs exist in the United States, according to www.

SOSfires.com

Many use questionnaires developed by Dr. Kenneth Fineman, a forensic and clinical psychologist. A scoring method helps interviewers determine the likelihood a juvenile will re-offend and helps determine if counseling is needed.

For example, Iowa City's Fineman-based program has five main components: identifying at-risk youths, evaluating their likelihood to set another fire, fire safety education, mental health referrals for youths who need one and telephone follow-up to reinforce fire-safe behavior.

Accepting responsibility

By the end of an hourlong talk with the 11-year-old, the boy is finishing Smith's sentences. Smith tries to get him to visualize what might have happened if the fire he set hadn't been extinguished.

“That very easily could have caught on fire in the middle of the night, when nobody was around to see it,” Smith said. “It could have caught things in the yard on fire and got to (the neighbor's) house. And if they're sleeping ...”

The boy cuts him off.

“... They could get hurt. And then it would be my responsibility.”

Smith nods. He's convinced the program makes a big impact, one interview at a time.