John has been in the fire service for the past twenty-four years and been involved with as one of the founding members of the North Central Connecticut Firehawk Chapter.

His experience dates back to over fourteen years of both the Administrator and front line worker with children from the community and several of the surrounding towns in north central Connecticut. John also is an Adjunct Instructor with the Connecticut Fire Academy and is currently on the committee to establish certification to the NFPA 1035 on Juvenile Firesetting Specialist I and II.

1. School fires and firesetters
2. Trends and profiles in youth firesetting
3. What does a youth firesetter look like
4. How to design, develop and implement a youth firesetter program
5. How to facilitate a youth firesetter parent group
6. Adolescent interviewing techniques
7. The National Fire Academy's Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialist I and II training

 Janet Cusick Jost, RN, MS has been involved in burn care and education since 1977, working as a staff nurse and outreach education coordinator in two regional burn centers. She has been involved in fire safety and burn prevention education for the past two decades. In 1987 she was the first woman to be hired as a full-time firefighter / EMT-D with the Lincoln (NE) Fire Department where she worked for three years. Janet is also a burn survivor, having been critically burned in 1972. These combined experiences give her many different perspectives on fire safety, burn prevention and care, and survival. These perspectives and her passion are shared in all of her presentations. In 2004, Janet and her husband Gary Jost, MD, created Cusick Jost Consulting, LLC. This company provides education and presentations on the following topics:

Ø    Fire safety and burn prevention for all ages

Ø    3 per day: Preventing childhood burn injuries and deaths

Ø    Youth firesetting assessment and intervention

Ø    Let’s Start at the Beginning: Pub Ed 101

Ø    Evaluating Outcomes in Prevention: A Necessary (but Beneficial) Evil

Ø    Changing Paradigms and Controversies in Prevention

Ø    Legislation and Standards: What’s going on in our government? What is my role as a public educator?

Ø    Children’s Sleepwear Flammability Standards: What we don’t know can kill kids!

Ø    Fire Safe Cigarettes: What Public Educators Need to Know

Ø    Don’t Reinvent the Wheel: Finding and using what is already out there

Ø    Fire and Burn Disasters: What have we learned?

Ø    Burn Survivor: Lessons Learned

Ø    Burn Disaster Planning and Management

1. Non-pathological vs. Pathological Juvenile Firesetters
2. Successful Approaches to Preventing Youthful Firesetting
3. Interviewing Techniques
4. Four Areas of Knowledge in Working with the Juvenile Firesetter
5. Legal Considerations-- Intervention Role Playing Note: Mr. Day uses the revised FEMA/USFA Interview Forms (developed by Kenneth Fineman, Ph. D) in his workshops.

1. Psychological causes of juvenile and adult firesetting
2. Diagnosis/assessment and treatment of the firesetter
3. The development of prevention and detection programs for
   dealing with firesetters

Dr. Gaynor's audiences include the fire service, law enforcement, educators, social service agencies, medical and mental health professionals, insurance groups and the juvenile justice system. Dr. Gaynor's lecture topics include...

1. Defining the problem of juvenile firesetting
2. Interviewing and evaluating juvenile firesetters and their families
3. Developing educational programs for juvenile firesetters and their families
4. Mental health intervention for juvenile firesetters and their families
5. Setting up, maintaining, and evaluating community JFS intervention programs

1. Crisis intervention in community tragedies
2. Customizing a juvenile firesetters' program for your community
3. Furious females and firesetting
4. Juvenile firesetting: an overview
5. Pathological firesetting by juveniles
6. Psychological characteristics of the ideal juvenile arson intervention professional
7. What your mental health consultants need to know about firesetting and firefighting

1. Reaching Across Cultures: Working with Families of Color
2. Navigating the Mental Health Maze
3. Clinical Treatment for Juvenile Firesetters

He currently teaches as a contract Instructor for the National Fire Academy's Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialist I & II courses.

Michael is the President and founder of E.S.C.A.P.E., Inc., (www.escapeinc.org) a non-profit public charity headquartered in Kalamazoo Michigan, that works full time to teach children & adults techniques in fire prevention as well as CPR and first aid.

He has 14 years experience in the Burn Center and 6 years experience working in a psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents.  Topics include:

• Assessing Fire History and Behavior
• Educational Interventions for Special Cases
• Coalition Building
• Youth Firesetter Intervention
• Burn Prevention
• Fire Prevention and Survival
• Emergency Care of Burns
• Burn Wound Care
• First Aid for Burn
• Cigarettes: Fire, Burns and Death

Powerpoint presentations includes detailed patient stories of the effects of firesetting. No speaker fee required in most cases.

Director of Education/Media Affairs for the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Dept.

Over 20 years experience working with juveniles and child firesetters. Assisted mental health centers and the juvenile justice system in evaluations and recommendations for treatment for firesetters. Serves as Executive Director for ICFIRES. Serves on the Illinois Task Force on child firesetters.  Helped to established the first statewide 800 number to assist agencies on the problem of firesetting. Worked with the Illinois State Fire Marshal Office to create the first state certification for Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialist.

Credits include: A & E's Investigative Reports, "Waging War On Arson", "Rescue 911", television and radio interviews on the topic of firesetting issues, Fire safety education videos for children, and Represented Illinois at the National Juvenile Firesetter Forum held in Illinois.

Topics: "Children and Fire What Mom and Dad need to Know.", "Problem Firesetters: Youth, Crimes and Your Community", Trainer for 16 hour Illinios State Certification Course, and "Networking for your program". Active member and supporter of Illinois Fire Safety Alliance Camp "I Am Me".

For the past three years, Gerri has chaired the National Fire Prevention Professional Development Committee within the USFA’s Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) program. Gerri is a doctoral candidate at Florida Atlantic University, completing her PhD. in Educational Leadership. She received her Master of Education degree from University of Ottawa and two baccalaureate degrees from St. Francis Xavier University, both in Canada. Gerri is also a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the NFA and an instructor and curriculum developer for that institution. In 2000, the FL Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association, Governor Jeb Bush and the cabinet presented Gerri with the Public Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award. Gerri has been involved with fire and life safety education for over 20 years.

Irene Pinsonneault is the President of F.I.R.E Solutions, a consulting and technical assistance firm which provides training for community JFS intervention programs. She is the editor of "The Strike Zone," a quarterly newsletter on JFS issues, and she speaks nationally on a variety of topics related to juvenile firesetting.

Public Education/Information Coordinator for the Lombard Fire Dept. Intervention Coordinator for Loyola Medical Centers firesetter intervention program (BEARs)

Started working with firesetters 25 years ago. Currently President of ICFIRES, a statewide firesetter intervention specialist networking assocation. Work with the State Fire Marshal office in establishing training and certification program for Intervention Specialist. I am one of the founders and currently maintain the statewide 800 Hotline for families and fire depts. seeking assistance with juvenile firesetters. Has represented the State Fire Marshal's office at the International Juvenile Firesetters Conference and the Texas Juvenile Firesetter Conference. One of the original instructors for the states 16 hours Firesetter Intervention Specialist certification program.

James is available to speak on the following topics:

1. Developing a local,statewide Intervention Specialist network.
2. Setting up statewide programs for Intervention Specialist.

Public Education Specialist/PIO, Parker Fire Protection District and Executive Director, Miller Safety Center; Parker, CO

Grant Manager for the 1991 and 1995-97 US Fire Administration Demonstration Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Projects.

1. Public policy strategies for developing interagency cooperation and protocol to provide intervention services for firesetting youth.
2. Mental Health Provider Training taught by Marion Doctor, LCSW and Susan Turner, Psy.D., The Children's Hospital of Denver.
3. NFPA 1035 Training for Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialists.
4. National Fire Academy Instructor for Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialist I and II.

Don Porth is a Juvenile Firesetter Specialist with the Portland OR) Fire Bureau.

Don offers training and classes on: Firesetter Intervention Program Development, Introduction to the Youth Firesetting Problem, Educational Intervention Techniques, Documentation and Evaluation, Data Collection and Reporting Systems, Coalition/Network Building, Assessment of Youth Firesetters. Custom programs are also provided based on individual needs and requests.

In addition to the above entry, Don is also the President of SOS FIRES: Youth Intervention Programs, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing consulting, training, information dissemination, and general assistance on the topic of youth firesetting.

Web site: http://www.sosfires.com

Mr. Rogers is a crime scene detective assigned to the forensic services unit of the DuPage County Sheriff's Office. He is a state-certified arson investigator and is also certified with the International Association of Arson Investigators.

Mr. Rogers serves on the Illinois JFS Task Force and the International Association of Arson Investigators Committee on Juvenile Firesetters. He has authored numerous JFS-related articles. His evidence technician course is a forty hour, Illinois state certified course in locating, identification and preserving physical evidence at a crime scene.

Other Courses offered . . .

The basic crime scene arson awareness course is a sixteen hour course which helps the certified evidence technician in identifying potential physical evidence at the arson scene.

The JFS awareness course is a eight hour instruction geared to law enforcement personnel. This course gives an overview of the JFS problem and offers helpful hints for the first responder in the initial investigation.

Joseph Schwartz is a Law Enforcement Lieutenant with the Florida State Fire Marshal's Office. He was a fire fighter prior to working for the State Fire Marshal's Office. He works closely with the juvenile firesetter program and has lectured throughout the state on setting up a program in local areas. He also speaks on other topics which include arson management, large fire scene management, cause and origin along with other related topics.

Paul Schwartzman, M.S. is a mental health counselor, providing counseling services to children, adolescents and families in the Rochester (NY) area for more than twenty years. Paul was a member of the research team that originated the Fire Related Youth Unit for the City of Rochester Fire Department and the BIC preschool firesafety education curriculum, both award-winning programs that address issues of children and fire.

Paul has co-authored two books, The Fireproof Children Handbook, and the Fireproof Children Education Kit, research articles for professional journals, and a chapter on the treatment of juvenile firesetters in The Handbook of Prescriptive Treatments for Children and Adolescents published by Allyn & Bacon.

Paul serves on the NFPA's Education Section Board of Directors. He is also chairperson of the NFPA's Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Committee. He is currently working with the committee to develop national standards for juvenile firesetter intervention specialists, and he speaks on the following JFS-related topics...

1. Establishing a community-based program 2. Interviewing and assessing children involved in fire play and firesetting. 3. Prevention, intervention and treatment methods

Online Interview

Barbara Spurlin has been in the fire service for more than 20 years. During the last 15 years, she has presented both one and two-day JFS workshops at the Indiana State Fire Schools. These workshops focus on interviewing and education for existing programs, as well as methods for developing community-based JFS programs. Special emphasis in Barbara's programs is placed on agencies working cooperatively to mitigate the effects of juvenile-set fires in the community. These include fire departments, law enforcement, juvenile justice, education and mental health agencies.

While serving as Chairperson of the Mental Health Task Force for the Massachusetts Coalition for Juvenile Firesetting Intervention Programs, he developed the Massachusetts Model assessment protocol. Using this model, he has completed or supervised more than 1,500 firesetting behavior assessments.

Dr. Stadolnik tailors content workshops and skills-based trainings related to child and adult firesetting to the specific needs of sponsoring organizations. His most requested topics include:

• Child and Juvenile Firestting: From Mythology to Best Practice
• Evaluation Juvenile and Adult Firesetting
• Adolescent Female Firesetting: Cinderella or Medusa?
• The Four A’s of Firesetting

Dr. Thomas is a National Certified Counselor specializing in the treatment of children, adolescents and their families. He works closely with the Phoenix Fire Department and conducts training for the International Association of Arson Investigators.

Dr. Thomas speaks at JFS conferences & workshops on topics which include:

Dr. Wilcox is a Clinical Instructor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is a licensed psychologist who has been working with children and adolescents for over ten years in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He specializes in the assessment and treatment of juvenile firesetters and has been the Director of the Firesetting Assessment Safety and Treatment Team for the past seven years. Dr. Wilcox provides trainings, assessments and forensic consultations regarding juvenile firesetters and is currently conducting research on the connections between child maltreatment and firesetting. In addition to providing assessments and forensic evaluations, Dr. Wilcox consults to residential programs, court clinics, hospitals, and mental health and social service agencies regarding the assessment and treatment of juvenile firesetters.

Public Speaking and Presentation topics addressed by Dr. Wilcox include:

• Trauma and Firesetting Behavior in Children and Adolescents
• Assessment Protocols and the Evaluation of Juvenile Firesetters
• Female Firesetting Behavior: Uncovering a Growing Trend