IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 252 

Supporting the goals of National Arson Awareness Week. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 28, 2005 

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. FITZPATRICK

of Pennsylvania, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. WILSON of 

South Carolina, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, Mr. SIMMONS, Mr. HOYER, 

Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. GORDON, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. 

MENENDEZ, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. CLEAVER, 

Mr. UPTON, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 

ANDREWS, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mrs. MCCARTHY, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. MEEK of Florida, Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan, Ms. 

JACKSON-LEE of Texas, and Mr. KING of New York) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Government 

Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals of National Arson Awareness Week. 

Whereas the increase in arson fires that cause fatalities is a 

troublesome statistic; 

Whereas many other fatal fires are preventable through increased outreach, supervision, and technological innovation; 

Whereas the goals of National Arson Awareness Week are to 

create a national recognition, awareness, and understanding of the school fire problem in the United States; 
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•HRES 252 IH 

to encourage communities to get involved in the dissemination of arson awareness information by creating a simple, identifiable, and unifying message for intervention 

and prevention; to organize local events that raise a community’s awareness of school fires and arson issues; and 

to engage national, regional, and local media outlets in 

delivering the message; 

Whereas the price that America pays for fires set in our 

schools is extreme; 

Whereas the crime of youth fire setting and juvenile arson accounts for over 50 percent of all intentionally set fires; 

Whereas the leading cause of school structure fires on average is incendiary or suspicious activity, which includes 

arson fires, and accounts for 37 percent of all school 

structure fires and 52 percent of middle and high school 

structure fires; 

Whereas 78 percent of school fires occur during the school 

week and 22 percent on weekends; 

Whereas 55 percent of fires occur between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., 

the hours students are most likely to be in school; 

Whereas in addition to fire departments, communities must 

involve the police department, mental health professionals, the school system, children’s hospitals, social 

services, and the media in the issue of fire in schools; 

Whereas public awareness is one of the specific responsibilities of the International Association of Arson Investigators; 

Whereas if citizens become more informed about arson prevention and intervention and treatment programs for 

these heinous acts of burning are made available, strides 

can be made in this preventable malfeasance; 
3 

•HRES 252 IH 

Whereas the International Association of Arson Investigators 

has designated the first week of May each year as National Arson Awareness Week; and 

Whereas this year the theme of National Arson Awareness 

Week is ‘‘School Arson—A Burning Subject’’: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports 

2 the goals of National Arson Awareness Week. 

Æ