Why do kids set fires?
For most kids, the motive to set fires are experimentation and curiousity.
The best way to understand why children set fires is to look at their motivations for firesetting. For most young kids, the motive is experimentation and curiosity. Motives can involve curiosity, a cry for help, thrill-seeking, willful intent to cause destruction, or by children who suffer from mental or emotional problems.
Remember, if you suspect your child is setting fires, you are not the only parent ever to face this problem. Contact your local fire department immediately. Explain the situation to them. Many fire departments offer youth firesetting prevention and intervention programs.
Parents, caregivers, and public educators, whether they are from the fire department or the school system, can build an informed foundation by teaching fire safety at an early age. Teach children of all ages that fires, even small ones, can spread quickly.
Teaching Children Fire Safety
The most critical message for children to learn is that matches and lighters are tools, not toys! Parents should never use lighters, matches, and fire for fun; children will mimic you, and when they do it unsupervised, tragic events can result. Praise your child for practicing responsible behavior and showing respect for fire. Set a good example: use matches, lighters, and fire carefully, as children will imitate positive behavior too.
- Always supervise young children.
- Never leave matches or lighters within reach of children. Keep matches and lighters out of reach in high, locked cabinets.
- Use child-resistant lighters, but remember that they are not child proof.
- Instruct young children to inform an adult if they find matches or lighters.
Welcome to the Neoga Fire Protection website. Our district covers 123 square miles. We are a rural fire/ambulance protection district. We are responsible not only for fire prevention and suppression, but we are the local EMS provider in delivering emergency medical care in our community. In addition, we are responsible for auto extrication, wild-land fire suppression and various types of rescue. There is no ESDA organization in our area so we provide "storm watchers" and we will be the first responding agency on natural disasters and hazardous material incidents. Due to some of our neighboring districts not having an ambulance service our 2 ALS (Advance Life Support) ambulances cover approximately 200 square miles. We currently have 28 volunteer firefighters and 15 EMT's on our ambulance service. We protect the Western 1/3 of Cumberland and a portion of Shelby County. The population of our district is about 3,900 not including part time lake residents. A 1,050 acre recreational lake, (which we estimate adds an additional 1,500 to 3,000 residents during the summer that takes us well over 6,000 in total lives).