HYANNIS – Youth Firesetting Intervention Training will be taking place on Cape Cod April 26th and 27th. Members from various public safety and mental health organizations from across Barnstable County are participating in a two-day training relating to youth firesetting. This training is being conducted by the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg Maryland as a local delivery to Cape Cod.
Attendees are part of a county wide coalition comprised of officials from 15 different fire departments, 4 local police departments, the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, Bay Cove Human Resources, the Massachusetts State Police, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Once trained, these members will play a crucial role in helping to screen youths that pose a safety risk to themselves and their communities by engaging in firesetting behaviors. This coalition will offer education, counseling, and treatment to youths once they are screened into the county wide program.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, Juvenile-Set Fires in Massachusetts have increased from 2017 through 2020 with a 25% (17 incident) increase from 2019-2020. Several incidents took place in Barnstable County in 2021 and it is thought that underreporting of youth related fire incidents exists throughout the country.
In January 2022 twelve people were killed in a Philadelphia apartment blaze that was started by a 5-year-old accidently setting a Christmas tree on fire. Locally on Cape Cod, there have been devastating fires in recent history that were related to children playing with fire.
This program has been in development for the past twelve months and has an anticipated launch of offering services to Cape Cod by June of this year.
The complete list of participating organizations includes Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, C-O-MM, Chatham, Eastham, Falmouth, Harwich, Hyannis, Joint Base, Mashpee, Orleans, Sandwich, Yarmouth, and Nantucket Fire Departments; Barnstable, Falmouth and Yarmouth Police Departments; Massachusetts State Police, Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office, Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, and Bay Cove Human Resources. The Massachusetts State Fire Marshal has also been a strong supporter of this program.
