San Diego District Legal professional’s workplace grants $25Okay to Burn Institute’s youth hearth prevention program

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego District Attorney’s office is working with children who have started fired.

National data shows that 55% of all arson arrests are for children under the age of 18.

A new $25,000 grant will be used for staff members who will counsel the children about how dangerous fire can be for themselves and everyone else around them.

The Youth Firestarter Intervention Program was started by The Burn Institute, which has been serving the San Diego area for nearly 50 years. The Burn Institute also works with burn survivors and gives free smoke detectors to seniors.

According to the San Diego County D.A.’s Juvenile Division, it reviews about 10 allegations of youth arson a year, but YFS handles many more cases than the D.A. receives.

“It could endanger their family, their community, their schools. So it’s really important that we stop it. Stop that behavior and change the child’s behavior as early as possible,” said Susan Day, Burn Institute Executive Director. 

The YFS program teaches children ages five to 18 and their families about fire safety. They also assess whether there is a deeper issue leading the kids to start fires. Day said parents should look out for scorched or burned areas inside and outside of the home.

“They’re curious. They’re experimenting and so many times they don’t even understand the consequences and the danger of such a dangerous behavior as setting fires,” Day said. 

The National City Fire Department is one of the few in San Diego County to have its own fire prevention program for families in their city. Fire Inspector Eddie Sanchez said parents should also remember not to leave things like matches or lighters where kids can easily get them.

“Treat these like a loaded weapon. If you think about a fire or a match, what can do more damage? One bullet or one match? Most of the time when I ask students that, they think a bullet. However, with one match you could start a big wildfire like the ones we have going on currently in our state,” Sanchez said. 

Both the Burn Institute and the National City Fire Dept. use training from FEMA to educate people about fire safety. If you’d like more information, click the links: The Burn Institute or National City Fire Dept.