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Who Sets Fires?
Who
Sets Fires?
Any child can
be a potential fire setter. They may be motivated by a curiosity
for fire. A crisis in a child's life may lead to fire setting as
a way of expressing feelings of helplessness. Fire setting is a
symptom of another problem.
Whatever the
reason, most experts agree the best way to understand fire setting
behaviour is to look at the reason for the behaviour. After the
interview is completed and the level of concern is assessed. There
are three ways to categorize fire setting behaviour and there are
different strategies for each behaviour:
Little
Concern - Curiosity Firesetter
- Child is
usually a boy
- Fire usually
set near home
- Curious about
the environment and finds fire fascinating
- Child does
not understand fire and the consequences of his actions Treatment:
educational intervention
Definite
Concern:
- Child is
usually a boy
- May collect
fire tools
- Fire set
close to home
- Sets numerous
fires for attention
- Has experienced
a crisis in personal life
- Firesetting
will continue until crisis is dealt with
Treatment: education and referral (counseling)
Extreme
Concern:
- Child is
usually a boy
- Frequently
collects fire tools
- Fire may
be set far from home
- Fire set
alone or in group
- Shows little
remorse
- Other motives,
spite, anger, revenge, impulsiveness
Treatment: Refer for counseling
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