About Fire FRIENDS
It is the goal of the Fire F.R.I.E.N.D.S. program to deliver appropriate services to children and families affected by fireplay and firesetting. To accomplish this, the program offers several kinds of intervention targeted at various levels of need.
After enrolling your child or adolescent into the
Fire F.R.I.E.N.D.S. program, a brief survey will be conducted to
determine the degree of concern related to your child's fire
behavior. Based on this screening evaluation, the Fire F.R.I.E.N.D.S. program will determine which areas of intervention are needed to assist you and your child. You may be offered the opportunity to participate in a brief fire education class with your child, a more intensive group education class, and/or a behavioral health evaluation to determine in more depth the motives influencing your child's fire behavior. All services offered through the Fire F.R.I.E.N.D.S. program are offered FREE of charge to participating families.
Many agencies are cooperating to create a comprehensive approach
to helping children and families deal with the very dangerous
problem of juvenile firesetting. In order to develop an effective
intervention plan, the Fire F.R.I.E.N.D.S. program
needs to exchange information between these participating agencies,
so the first step in enrolling your child will be to
complete a release of information authorizing the exchange of
information so that we can develop an integrated, comprehensive, and
effective intervention and treatment plan.
The next step in enrolling your child will be to collect some
background information about you and your child, such as your names,
address, and phone numbers.
The final step in enrolling your child will be to collect
screening information about the child's fire-related behavior and
possible contributing factors, such as emotional or behavioral
issues presented by the child.
Based on this screening information, a determination will be made
regarding what additional areas of intervention are needed to help
change your child's fire related behavior.
You may be offered the opportunity to participate in a
brief fire education class with your child, a more intensive group
fire education class, and/or a behavioral health evaluation to
determine in more depth the motivational factors influencing
your child's fire behavior. All services offered through the Fire F.R.I.E.N.D.S. program are offered FREE of charge to
participating families.
If indicated, free behavioral healthcare assessment and consultation services will be offered through the Fire F.R.I.E.N.D.S. program. Many behavioral health care professionals are not trained to deal with juvenile firesetting, but the professional staff at Fire F.R.I.E.N.D.S. are leaders in this area and can provide help for you and your family.
Fire safety education for both the children and the adults in the family is offered as a part of your child's firesetting intervention. Giving children the knowledge they need to make better choices is an important part of the Fire F.R.I.E.N.D.S. program.
Children who were mainly motivated by curiosity in their fire incident will most likely be referred to a one-hour individual fire safety education class at their local fire station. This class is targeted to the child's grade level.
Children who need a higher level of intervention will be referred to a six-hour group education class which focuses not only on fire safety but also on decision-making and the consequences of firesetting. The child must attend with a parent or guardian. To find out more about the group class, please click on the "Parents" link above and select your county.
Firesetting can be considered a crime in certain circumstances, and parents can be held legally liable for the negative effects of fires their children set. Juvenile justice professionals work with families and legal entities to ensure appropriate consequences are enforced and complied with, when necessary.
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