Curiosity a key motive for firesetting
Robert Crandall
National Fire Service
Support Systems, Inc.
Pittsford, New York
Reference is made to “Profiling Arsonists and Their Motives: An Update” by Ellen Emerson-White (Fire Engineering, March 1996). As an investigator with the Rochester (NY) Fire Department and a partner in Fireproof Children, I have been part of a team that has systematically investigated and recorded every fire incident attributable to a juvenile in our city since January 1, 1983. This includes every incident of juvenile arson, fire play, and firesetting and represents a database of more than 3,000 incidents. Although I would not argue that the information in this article is descriptive of the juveniles we profile as troubled or delinquent, it actually represents only a little more than 30 percent of the total number of juveniles involved with fire.
The most frequent profile group by far (nearly 70 percent) is that prompted by curiosity. This group poses the greatest threat to life and property because the fires they cause are generally in the living areas of their own homes. Members vary in age and come from a range of socioeconomic environments and family types. Taking an educational approach with this group has yielded a 97 percent success rate, which clearly demonstrates that this group has the ability to understand the consequences of its actions.
We in the fire service must involve a variety of community agencies (including mental health, social services, and the legal system) in dealing with the more troubled juveniles and their families, but I would hope that none of us are misled into thinking that this is all it takes. Equally important is the role played by local fire departments and their dedicated fire educators and fire investigators who are effectively dealing with the curiosity profile group by educating the juvenile firesetter and his or her family.
