Is Your Child Playing With Matches?

When to Seek Help...

If you suspect, or find evidence, that your child is setting fires, you should be concerned. To curb fire-setting behavior, lock up matches and lighters immediately, and talk to your child about the potentially fatal consequences of firesetting...and call the Burn Institute. Click here for help: Juvenile Fire Setter Program

Questions About Juvenile Firesetting

Is it normal for children to play with matches?
While curiosity about fire is common, some children light fires for other reasons. A change or crisis such as a move, death or divorce, may result in firesettting. This behavior can be the child's way of acting out fear or anxiety. Some children set fires to get attention or to oppose authority. Other behaviors in addition to firesetting may reflect more serious emotional problems and require the services of community mental health professionals. Proper intervention can help juveniles who set fires.

Is it a phase?
Juvenile firesetting is extremely dangerous and should not be dismissed as a phase or simple curiosity. Do not ignore it! Left alone it may cause severe property damage or even loss of life. Early recognition and treatment of firesetting can help prevent tragedies in the future

Some excellent tips from the Burn Institute:

Stop Juvenile Firesetting Before It Starts
*Set a good example, make fire safety a family matter. Practice fire and burn prevention in your home.

*Supervise your child. Almost all fires start when children are unsupervised.

*Store matches and lighters in a locked cabinet, far away from curious fingers.
Purchase only child resistant lighters. Even a 2-year old can work a cigarette lighter.

*Use a "Don't Touch!" approach with children under 5 years old. Teach older children to bring matches to you. Reward them with praise when they do.

*If an older child is curious about matches, demonstrate the proper and safe way to use them. Explain that it is important to use matches only when an adult is present.

*Check smoke detectors regularly and have a plan to get out of your home quickly in the event of a fire.

*Matches and lighters are tools for adults not toys for children.

When A Child Strikes a Match, Fire Strikes Back!
*Nationally, children who play with fire cause nearly 80,000 structure fires per year which result in approximately 760 deaths and more than 3,500 injuries.

*Juvenile firesetting does an estimated 1.2 Billion dollars in damage annually.

*It only takes about two-minutes for the flame from a single match to set an entire room on fire, and less than five minutes for that fire to overtake an entire house.