JUVENILE FIRESETTER INTERVENTION HANDBOOK Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Handbook Prepared for THE UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATION FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY By Jessica Gaynor, Ph.D. For SocioTechnical Research Applications, Inc. Under Contract EME-97-RP-0015 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Fire Administration. JUVENILE FIRESETTER INTERVENTION HANDBOOK Statement of Purpose This Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Handbook is designed to teach communities how to develop an effective juvenile firesetter intervention program. The six chapters of this Handbook can be viewed as the six building blocks essential to construct a successful program. The cornerstone of the blueprint is understanding the personality profiles of juvenile firesetters and their families. The next step is identifying at-risk youth and assessing the likelihood that they will become involved in future firesetting incidents. The identification of the three levels of firesetting risk--little, definite, and extreme--leads to specific types of intervention, including evaluation, education, referral and follow-up. These are the critical components of a juvenile firesetter program. To provide a complete complement of services to juvenile firesetters and their families, the juvenile firesetter program must be part of a community network. This network consists of a continuum of care designed to provide a range of intervention services, including prevention, immediate treatment, and graduated sanctions to juvenile firesetters and their families. Finally, there is a specific set of programmatic tasks that will ensure the delivery of swift and effective intervention to at-risk youth and their families. Target audiences for this Handbook are diverse. Because the fire service operates the majority of juvenile firesetter programs, these chapters are designed specifically to meet its needs. Fire educators, fire prevention specialists, arson investigators, juvenile firesetter program managers, interviewers, educators, and team members all will find this information useful. In addition, because juvenile firesetter programs are part of a community network, many other professionals working in the human service arena will benefit from the Handbook. These professionals include law enforcement, mental health, school personnel, child protective services, social services, and juvenile justice. A planned and coordinated effort on the part of the fire service and human service organizations is the best way to reduce juvenile involvement in firesetting and arson and to protect and preserve lives and property in our communities. iii JUVENILE FIRESETTER INTERVENTION HANDBOOK iv JUVENILE FIRESETTER INTERVENTION HANDBOOK FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATION FOREWORD The United States Fire Administration (USFA), of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has funded and guided the development of this Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Handbook. The history of activity leading to this particular version dates back to two prior efforts. The first effort resulted in the publication of the USFA's three-volume Juvenile Firesetter Handbooks (Ages Seven and Under, Ages 8-13, and Ages 14-18), 1978-1988. The second effort resulted in the collaboration between the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention (OJJDP) and the USFA to produce the National Juvenile Firesetter/Arson Control and Prevention Program, 1994. Please see the following page for a complete list of contributors to these publications. In 1997, a decision was made by the USFA to integrate the core content from the several different publications into one Handbook. The main author of this work is Dr. Jessica Gaynor, clinical psychologist, writer, and management consultant to juvenile firesetter programs. The Handbook was prepared under contract by SocioTechnical Research Applications, Inc. A working group, consisting of Dr. Gaynor, Dr. Patricia Hamilton, Cheryl Poage, and Dr. Manuel Gallardo, developed the content of the Handbook; and a review panel consisting of Captain Steve Cox, Marion Doctor, Dr. Kenneth Fineman, Carol Gross, Captain Kevin Kennedy, Irene Pinsonneault, and Paul Schwartzman provided editorial comment. One of the unique contributions of the Handbook is the presentation of the Juvenile Firesetter Child and Family Risk Surveys. These surveys represent a shortened version of the Comprehensive FireRisk Evaluation. Both instruments can be used to classify youth and their families according to three firesetting risk levels. Juvenile firesetter programs will have the option of using a short assessment procedure with the Risk Surveys or a longer evaluation procedure with the Comprehensive FireRisk Evaluation. The development of the Comprehensive FireRisk Evaluation represents the original work of Dr. Kenneth Fineman with revision by the Colorado Juvenile Firesetter Prevention Program Project, consisting of Marion Doctor, Joe B. Day, Larry Marshburn, Kenneth Rester, Jr., Cheryl Poage, Paul Cooke, Carmen Velasquez, Dr. Michael Moynihan, and Elise Flesher. The Risk Surveys were the result of validation research by Moynihan and Flesher. Information about the development of these instruments can be obtained from the Colorado Department of Public Safety. As with the prior works, the intent of this Handbook is to promote the development of a juvenile firesetter program that meets the requirements, and is sustainable within the resources of the community. Information on how to acquire copies of this Handbook and about USFA-funded training may be obtained from: United States Fire Administration 16825 South Seton Avenue Emmitsburg, MD 21727 (301) 447-1189 www.usfa.fema.gov v JUVENILE FIRESETTER INTERVENTION HANDBOOK vi JUVENILE FIRESETTER INTERVENTION HANDBOOK CONTRIBUTORS JUVENILE FIRESETTER HANDBOOKS (AGES 7 AND UNDER, AGES 8-13, AND AGES 14-18) Michael Baizerman, Ph.D. Carl Holmes Paul Boccumini, Ph.D. David J. Kolko, Ph.D. Clyd Bragdon, Jr. Lee Lewis Gary Briese Cathy Lohr Charles S. Brudo, Ed.D. Hugh McCless Esther S. Brudo, Ed.D. Lynne Michaelis Captain Joe B. Day Pat Miezala, R.N. Beth Emsoff, M.S. Tom Minnich Kenneth R. Fineman, Ph.D. Connie Morris Jessica Gaynor, Ph.D. Bill Peterson John Haney Ray Waters NATIONAL JUVENILE FIRESETTER/ARSON CONTROL AND PREVENTION PROGRAM American Institutes for Research Clifford Karchmer, M.A. Institute for Social Analysis Jessica Gaynor, Ph.D. vii JUVENILE FIRESETTER INTERVENTION HANDBOOK viii JUVENILE FIRESETTER INTERVENTION HANDBOOK Acknowledgements This Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Handbook was funded under a contract to SocioTechnical Research Applications (STRA) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), (Contract EME-97-RP-0015). There are many people who contributed their expertise to this Handbook. Andrew Giglio, the U.S. Fire Administration project officer, provided the initiative and guidance to see this project through to completion. Dr. Manuel Gallardo, President of STRA, and Dr. Patricia Hamilton designed the management structure for the project. This structure consisted of a working group and a quality review panel. Members of the working group included myself, Dr. Gallardo, Dr. Hamilton, and Cheryl Poage. The working group was responsible for developing the direction and content of the Handbook. Working group members also reviewed and edited drafts of the Handbook. Members of the quality review panel included Captain Steve Cox, Marion Doctor, Dr. Kenneth Fineman, Carol Gross, Captain Kevin Kennedy, Irene Pinsonneault, and Paul Schwartzman. Each quality review panel member provided content analysis, critical review, and editorial input. Katy Glad of STRA provided the technical support. Shayna York designed and executed the layout and graphics for the Handbook. Jim Post offered valuable editorial assistance. The centerpiece of this Handbook is the presentation of two assessment and evaluation tools for interviewing juvenile firesetters and their families. Dr. Kenneth Fineman is responsible for the design and development of the Comprehensive FireRisk Evaluation. Many local fire departments supported its implementation. Cheryl Poage and the Colorado Juvenile Fire Prevention Program, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Fire Administration (EMW-95-S- 4780), are responsible for producing the Juvenile Firesetter Risk Surveys, an alternative and shortened version for the fire service. It is important to acknowledge that this Handbook represents the past quarter century's work of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention (OJJDP) in the field of juvenile firesetting and arson. As such, it assimilates all the previous written documentation published by these agencies, including the USFA's three-volume Juvenile Firesetter Handbooks (Ages Seven and Under, Ages 8-13, and Ages 14-18), and the OJJDP's five- volume National Juvenile Firesetter/Arson Control and Prevention Program. All of the local, state, and national fire service professionals and organizations, mental health professionals, law enforcement, juvenile justice and community service agencies need to be recognized for their contributions to these works. It is precisely these people who are responsible for promoting an effective prevention and intervention effort designed to reduce juvenile involvement in firesetting and arson. Jessica Gaynor, Ph.D. January, 2002 ix JUVENILE FIRESETTER INTERVENTION HANDBOOK x JUVENILE FIRESETTER INTERVENTION