Each year for Arson Awareness Week, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) gathers and shares information to raise awareness of arson or youth firesetting to provide the fire service and community residents with strategies to combat these problems in their community.
This year’s theme is Arson in Homeless Communities: Engagement – Education – Outreach.
2022 Arson Awareness Week webinar
The National Volunteer Fire Council and USFA will host a webinar on May 2 from 2-3 p.m. (EDT). Webinar presenters will provide information on arson as it relates to our nation’s homeless population, using a community risk reduction holistic approach to address fire and life safety in this quickly growing risk area.
Webinar objectives for fire and EMS
- Understand common motives for arson fires in homeless communities.
- Learn about accidental and incendiary incidents of fire in homeless communities.
- Discover how to identify resources to develop programs within the homeless community.
- Highlight training opportunities to create outreach strategies.
- Identify current successful mitigation concepts.
- Learn how to develop standard operating procedures to document problems, create potential codes and ordinances, and cultivate partnerships for a long-term strategic solution.
Webinar presentations
Community partnerships
The Indianapolis Fire Department’s Fire Investigation Section has partnered with various community stakeholders to help mitigate the increasing homeless community arson challenge and firefighter risk. Commander Trevor Hanshew will present on the department’s successes and failures.
Strategies to prevent vacant residence fires
Detective James Albin, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, will discuss strategies that the department implemented to combat the issue of vacant residence fires. He will also talk about difficulties faced in bringing cases to prosecution and effectively prosecuting them.
Addressing arson in homeless communities: an organizational approach
Earl Diment, Portland (Oregon) Fire and Rescue (retired) and owner and CEO of Diment Consulting, will talk about the complex nature of the growing homeless problem. He will provide an organizational approach to develop partnerships, map the issues, identify resources, establish ongoing lines of communications, and evaluate effectiveness in real time.
Training to help you reduce risk and create outreach strategies
The USFA’s National Fire Academy offers beneficial training courses for developing a community risk reduction approach to address fire and life safety issues in the homeless community.
