Contact your local Fire Dep artment and learn how you can get involved in the Fire Stoppers of King County Program. Approximately every two hours someone dies as a result of fire. Every 21 minutes someone is hurt with fire. Each year in this country, fires set by children take hundreds of lives and cause millions of dollars of property loss. Many times, the victims of these fires are the children themselves.
Children using fire is the leading cause of fire death in preschool-age children.
The Solution Increased knowledge about fire and the appropriate actions to be taken are imperative to reducing youth set fires. These factors must be addressed along with fire safety education in order to prevent continued inappropriate and dangerous use of fire by children. Fire Stoppers is a collaborative effort between the King County Fire and Life Safety Association, Arson Alarm Foundation and Bellevue Community Services. Local fire departments have come together to meet the objective of this program, which is to establish a comprehensive regional youth firesetting intervention program, that will reduce the incidents of fireplay and firesetting by children and adolescents. This is accomplished through early identification of youth at risk, an interview to determine level of risk, consistent education for the entire family, and a referral to a qualified mental health agency when determined necessary.