Meri-K Appy

Jerry DiMillo

This special interview comes a new program being produced with Pat Mieszala of Burn Concerns, Inc. for the U.S. Fire Administration. Meri-K Appy is a spokesperson for the National Fire Protection Association, and Jerry DiMillo is the public information officer with the Portland, Maine Fire Department. 

Meri-K Appy 

You've said the NFPA's "Learn not to Burn" and "Risk Watch" programs are important tools in reducing juvenile firesetting. How? 

Waiting to take action until after a child has already set a fire is kind of like dispatching the equipment after the home has already burned down. It's really critically important that we get upstream of this problem, and that means integrating our messages into what's already going on in our children's lives. 

But do you feel a child at two years of age really understands fire safety? 

Do we know it works? Yes, we've got plenty of documented instances in which very young children, as young as 2 and 3 years old, remembered what to do in a fire, and did the right thing...and lived because of that. 

According to our research, pre-school children have a fire death rate of more than two times the national average. It's a leading cause of death among this age group, and a very serious problem often underestimated by society.  

We need to do a better job of getting people involved with us to get this message out. A good way to do it is through community outreach projects, targeting caregivers to bring a community together around this problem. 

You mention caregivers. What do you see as the parent's role in preventing fireplay and juvenile firesetting? 

There are several things that parents of this age group can do to keep their children safer from fire. Number one is to strictly limit access of the children to matches and lighters. And we know, frankly, that this is often something parents underestimate. Unfortunately, a whole lot of parents missed that lesson. Nobody ever taught them.  

Our kids know where our matches and lighters are. If they're curious, if they want to set a fire, they know how to get those tools. It's up to us, as adults, to make sure they don't have access.  

People in the fire service often feel they are out there alone in the battle to prevent juvenile firesetting. Is the rest of the country missing in action? 

On this issue, they are. We hear a great deal about violence, drugs, tobacco use, stranger-danger...These issues are very top-of-mind in our country today. Juvenile firesetting is not even a blip on the screen. 

One way to change this is by joining forces with others who share our commitment to fire safety...so that our voice on this issue can be that much stronger.  

Working more closely with schools, for example. I feel that if my home were on fire, I would want a trained firefighter going to rescue my child. And, if I want my child to learn something, I would also want a trained teacher doing that.  

The point is that if we combine our skills and work together, all of our kids are going to be much safer than they are now. 

Jerry DiMillo  

You've interviewed hundreds of children in your juvenile firesetter program, Jerry. What advice can you give to someone just starting out? 

It's easy to forget, but important for us to remember, that they're children. You can't look at what they did. These are children, and they're simply in need of some education. They need our help. So, you've got to play with them. You've got to remember they think like children and they act like children.  

The best way to reach them is by doing the things you would do with your own child to get them to trust you, to get them to talk to you. 

At the first interview? If the child is young, let's say four years old, many times I won't be in a uniform. I probably won't even be in a shirt and tie, maybe just a sweatshirt... like the guy next door... to be less intimidating. But, the child still doesn't know me, and I have a lot of size on him, and I've got to get him on my side. So, the first thing I'll probably say is, 'Aren't you a big boy.' Usually, he's mine from then on.  

How long should the interview take? 

There's no time limit. It may take a week. You may have to go back four or five times. The thing is, you've got to work with the child at their own speed. When I see him or her shutting down, I just stop and say, 'Why don't we do this again tomorrow?' 

What about older kids? What is your approach to interviewing teenagers? 

I respect them. I don't disagree with them. I don't argue with them. I don't question their lifestyle. I don't throw my own values at them, and I don't tell them what's right or wrong. Basically, we talk about the fire and their involvement in the fire. We go through the process of doing a risk assessment and, at the same time, I give them the level of respect they deserve. 

So, respect is the key here? 

You've got to show them some respect. That's important to them. They're people. I might not like what they did, I might not like the way they're dressed, I might not like the way they're sitting in the chair, but I do show them respect. And, if they can feel that from me, it's like saying to the four-year-old, 'Aren't you a big boy?' 

There are a lot of people who feel firesetting is really a law enforcement issue. What do you tell them? 

I tell them the whole community has a stake in this problem...They're your kids, they're your buildings, this is your town, this is our problem, and we need to address it collectively.  

The truth is, there's some information these children need to have, and we can provide it for them. And there are some things we can give our children so they will accept that information. It's called nurturing. It's called respect, It's called love. It's called, 'let's take care of our family here,' and we're all involved. 

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