30,300 public fire departments listed in the Fire Service Inventory (FSI)
Playing with Heat Source- including playing with matches, candles, and lighters and bringing combustibles into a heat source Intentional- includes deliberate misuse of heat source or a fire of an incendiary nature Age of Human Factor Person No best way of isolating the overlap Estimates differ depending on methods used, scaling ratios, and allocations of unknowns
When does fireplay turn into experimentation or reckless behavior? When does this behavior turn into delinquent behavior?
It is suspected that even though child was removed from code, firefighters are more likely to use this code for fires in which children are playing and are using the code for intentional fires to report fires in which adults are “playing” with or misusing fire.
In 2003-2006, municipal fire departments responded to an estimated 54,400 fires involving children playing with heat source, annually. More than 3 of every 4 of these fires were outside or other fires. Almost 1 quarter of these fires were structure fires.-Structure fires resulted in the majority of associated civilian deaths, injuries and direct property damage
Homes-leading property use involved in structure fires of this nature. 75% of civilian deaths 92% of civilian injuries 79% of direct property damage 2% of home structure fires were caused by playing with heat source 6% of Structure fires in nursery, elementary, middle, junior, and high schools were caused by playing with heat source (31% of school fires were contained trash or rubbish fires)
Outside and other fires fell 74% from 1980, 31% from 1995-novelty lighters Structure fires fell 76% from 1980, 58% from 1995 Home structure fires fell 81% from 1980, 57% from 1995
Both home structure fires and outside and other fires involving fire-play follow a similar trend, peaking in after school hours, before dinner. More structure fires involving child play occur during the morning hours between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. than do outside and other fires involving child-play. Conversely, more outside and other fires involving child play occur during the hours of 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., than home structure fires.
Top 6 leading items firs ignited for children playing with fire home structure fires Trash or rubbish fires were not in the top 6 leading areas for lighter fires, but was for match fires In home structure fires in general and home structure fires involving lighters: Nearly half of all civilian deaths, injuries, and direct property damage were associated with mattress and bedding material fires In home structure fires involving matches, nearly half of civilian deaths and more than one third of injuries and direct property damage were associated with mattress and bedding material fires
Top 6 leading area of origins for children playing with fire home structure fires Contained trash or rubbish fires were not in the top 6 leading areas for lighter or match fires In home structure fires, nearly half of civilian deaths and more than half of civilian injuries and direct property damage were associated with fires that began in the bedroom In home structure fire involving lighters, half of civilian deaths(61%), more than half of civilian injuries (73%) and direct property damage (62%) were associated with fires that began in the bedroom In home structure fires involving matches, one quarter
The “typical” fatal victim in fires that result from children playing with heat source are 4 years old or younger. The “typical” injured victim in fires that result from children playing with heat source are between the ages of 21-39 (38% of injuries)
Children 4 years and younger are more than 7 times more likely to die and almost 3 times as likely to be injured in a fire that was started by children playing with fire than the general public is. Children between the ages of 5 and 10 years old are more than 2 times more likely to die and almost 2 times as likely to be injured in these fires than the general public is.
85% of reported home structure fires and 99% of associated civilian deaths involving children playing with heat source were started by children 10 years old and younger. This graph shows a breakdown for child play fires by age of the person starting the fire.
50% of people who start reported fires by playing are 5 years old and younger 63% of all fatal victims of fires by playing are children 5 year old and younger
According to US Fire Administration Passed states: Washington Oregon Nevada Arkansas Louisiana Tennessee North Carolina Virginia Maine Introduced: Utah Kansas Michigan Pennsylvania New York South Carolina 14 failed CA AZ TX Ok IL KY Mississippi AL GA FL CT VT