Anyone who’s noticed that their child has been involved in fire play, and has seen signs such as matches or lighters missing or burns on clothes, should be aware The Arson Prevention Program for Children (TAPP-C) is here to help.
And while children starting fires is by no means rampant in Rainy River district, the TAPP-C program definitely sees some use, Fort Frances Fire Chief Steve Richardson said.
“In the past two months, we’ve had three referrals,” he noted.
Chief Richardson added that while there were no structural fires attributed to young arsonists last year, there were was at least one in 2002.
And every year, some of the spring grass fires the fire department sees in town, and elsewhere in the district, are caused by children playing with lighters or matches.
Meanwhile, TAPP-C steering committee member Michelle Ott, project consultant for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Kenora, said the rates of referral are much higher up there.
For instance, between the fall of 2001 and May, 2002, there were six cases reported in the Kenora area. Between May, 2002 to April, 2003, that number rose to seven.
But since May, 2003, no new fire-starters had been reported—and no previously reported clients had been caught doing so, either.
Dryden saw even higher numbers, with 12 cases reported between the fall of 2001 and May, 2002, and then 23 between May, 2002 and April, 2003.
But Ott said the program appears to be working, both in the Kenora-Rainy River districts and provincially, with low rates of re-occurrence among those who do receive help.
“Most people that go through the program do not start fires or play with matches again,” she remarked. “The key component, however, is that co-operation between fire services and mental health services.”
Ott noted the regional TAPP-C committee is comprised of police, court, and mental health services, as well as district fire departments, creating a network to ensure potential young arsonists can be detected and helped before it’s too late.
Children involved with starting fires are referred to the program by parents or caregivers, local fire or police departments, schools, mental health centres, probation offices, crown attorneys, judges, or any other concerned individuals or agencies.
Chief Richardson said the response to a report of fire-starting behaviour is two-pronged.
First, the fire department contacts the family and pays a visit to the home for a “Home Fire Safety Check.” Then they talk to the parents/guardians and try to get them in touch with mental health services for an initial assessment.
The child will be assessed using a protocol developed specifically by the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry for TAPP–C. This assessment is intended to determine why a particular child is involved in setting fires and whether mental health treatment is required.
The reported child, who can be between aged two and 17, also goes through four sessions at the fire department to learn about fire safety and fire’s potential for harm, and then takes a test to see how much they’ve learned.
Ott noted feedback from fire service personnel in the past few years has shown “that many kids who turned out to be serious cases usually began fire play at an early age [two-three years old], and other serious problems were present with the child and in the home and were not reported until a serious incident occurred and usually at a later age.”
TAPP-C has been implemented in both the Rainy River and Kenora districts so even if a child identified by the program moves within the region, they still can receive any help they may need.
It was introduced to the communities of Kenora, Dryden, and Fort Frances in the spring of 2001. Community focus groups were held in Kenora and Dryden while mental health training was delivered to staff at children’s mental health agencies.
Steering committees were established in Kenora, Dryden, and Fort Frances and program protocols subsequently were developed, noted Ott.
Fire service training was delivered shortly afterwards to fire service personnel directly delivering the program.
A link was made with Crisis Response Services Kenora/Rainy River District to act as a contact agency for program referrals due to many volunteer fire services not available 24 hours a day.
Since 2001, the program has been implemented in every community in the Kenora-Rainy River districts.
TAPP-C first began in Ontario in 1991 as a co-operative effort between the Office of the Fire Marshal and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
Anyone in Rainy River District requiring assistance with a fire-setting child can call the Fort Frances Fire Department at 274-9841. If it’s a crisis situation, call Crisis Response Services at 1-866-888-8988.
Chief Richardson said people also can find out more about TAPP-C on the Fort Frances Fire Department’s website (www.fort-frances.com/fire).
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
