FORT WORTH -- Heat splashed his face and smoke filled his eyes, but it's the flames that 7-year-old Jacob Smith can't forget.
Jacob and his brother, Brandon, 9, were playing with two other boys and a girl, ages 6 through 11, on Sept. 8. One of the kids had a lighter, and suddenly, a pile of sticks morphed into a raging monster that quickly devoured a detached garage behind his family's north side home."The heat came at my face real fast," Jacob said. The flames were "big and red and kind of orange.""There was a lot of smoke, and we couldn't see. I started to run and, by the time I got to the front yard, the garage was collapsing."No one was hurt, but the blaze caused about $10,000 in damage, firefighters said.The children did a lot of finger pointing about who was to blame, but an arson investigator referred them all to the Juvenile Fire Setter Program taught by the Fort Worth Fire Department.The class, Jacob said, was scary because it helped him realize how a tiny flame can quickly grow into uncontrollable danger."We could have died," he said.Learn not to burnThe Fort Worth class is taught in a very plain room by Starrett Keele, the Fire Department's safety education specialist.One of the few items on display is a firefighter's helmet that has been blistered by flames.There is also a box of tissues for when Keele shows an educational video based on the story of a boy who died from smoke inhalation after starting a fire.The story is especially sad for parents. They are required to attend the class with their children, Keele said."I teared up the first couple times I saw it, too," said Keele, who has been a firefighter and paramedic for 26 years. "But they learn not to burn."Fire departments nationwide offer similar classes, and there are 26 in North Texas, according to the Texas Fire Marshal's Office.National statistics illustrate the need for them.In 2010, according to the National Fire Protection Association, people playing with fire, typically children, started an estimated 44,900 blazes. Ninety people died, 890 were hurt, and property damage amounted to $210 million, the NFPA reported.In Fort Worth, Keele measures the problem by how many referrals he gets to the program, which began in 1982, usually from arson investigators, teachers or concerned parents.This year is on pace to break the record 36 referrals made in 2009."Twenty-one a year is the average," Keele said, "but we've already had 32 this year and we still have three more months to go."Fort Worth firefighters responded to 12,098 fires in 2011.Four categoriesJuvenile fire setters, Keele explained, come from all races and socioeconomic backgrounds, but they all tend to be unsupervised or bored and with easy access to matches, lighters and fuel.They generally fit into one of four categories:The "curious" are children fascinated by flames, but unaware of their destructive consequences.The "troubled" are the kids who set fires to act out against an emotional situation at home or school.The "delinquent" ones are often teens who rebel against authority through vandalism.The "severely disturbed" are those who intentionally want to destroy something or someone with fire -- the legal definition of an arsonist.Boys set most fires, according to the fire protection group. Keele agreed, noting that boys, by nature, can be rough."They're just hard-wired different," he said. "When I was a kid, I lived in the country and I had my green army men set up and I'd toss firecrackers at them, you know, yelling 'incoming!'"Girls do occasionally enter the program, Keele said."Normally, they're the troubled-crisis category," he said. "If they're starting a fire, it's because they're acting out. In our training, we learn that if a little girl is burning her Barbies or even her bed, that could be a sign of sexual abuse."Instructors use a questionnaire to determine which category a fire setter fits.Parents answer a different set of questions, and the interviews are conducted separately so family members don't influence each other's answers.Counseling is available for fire setters, who may also be ticketed. The dangerous arsonists, however, can face tougher consequences such as criminal prosecution and confinement in the Texas Juvenile Justice Department."You take these people right to counseling because you're scared they're going to leave the class and start a fire," Keele said. "They are a danger to society. They're aroused by starting a fire."Most of the referrals, however, involve the "curious" fire setters who have acted out of ignorance or bad judgment, Keele said."I try to establish a real good rapport," he said of the class sessions. "I say, 'I'm not going to judge you. Just give me honest information so I can get the best help for you.'"A lot of times they really open up."Restitution is costlySometimes it's a challenge to communicate with 4- and 5-year-olds, or with those with attention deficit disorder. That's why the classes are taught in the sparsely decorated room with few distractions, Keele said."They have impulse control issues, and it's hard to get them to focus," he said. "We don't throw a lot of big words at them."Except for one word -- restitution, which is the repayment of property lost or damaged in the fires."This is what gets the parents' attention," Keele said. "If a child sets a fire in an apartment complex laundry room, that could cause between $1,000 and $100,000 of damage."Children can become responsible for unpaid restitution when they become adults. In severe cases, they may end up with felony records --not good for the college admission process or for pursuing a dream job, Keele said.Completion of the class can result in citations being waived, which can save a family thousands of dollars, Keele said.Early interventionRiley Shaw, a Tarrant County prosecutor who handles juveniles, applauds fire setter programs.A small percentage of his fire setter cases, he said, involve juvenile arsonists."But if they're out torching things, we've got to get them out of the community and it has to be long enough to get their behavior under control," he said.Out-of-home placements may be the solution, but sometimes the only choice is commitment to a state juvenile facility, Shaw said."The earlier we get to them, the higher the success rate," he saidSuccess also depends on family involvement, Shaw said.Sandra Graham, Jacob's mother, was visiting with other adults in the house when the fire was started in her back yard. She said that when the arson investigator told her about the fire setter program, she was worried that her boys might be in deeper trouble."That was going to be anybody's first thought," she said, "But he said, 'No, you're not in trouble. We just want to teach them a lesson not to play with fire again.'"Keele accomplished that, she said."Even though it was a month ago, it still makes me cry," she said, surveying the charred mess. "All this is replaceable. But if there was a kid in there ... you can't replace somebody's kid."Bill Miller, 817-390-7684Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
