TAPP-c

The Arson Prevention Program For Children

A child’s fascination with fire begins at an early age:  Tips for parents on dealing with fire curious kids

Many children have a fascination with fire.  It is important to understand that while curiosity about fire is natural, playing with fire can be dangerous and can be a sign of other problems in a child’s life.  Fire involvement includes playing with matches or lighters, playing with the toaster, stove or furnace, burning items such as toys, paper or garbage or even setting a fire to destroy something or harm someone.  If a parent suspects there is fire-play in the home, help is available from counseling professionals and fire services. 

TAPP-c, The Arson Prevention Program for Children in Muskoka, brings together fire service and counseling professionals to help families deal effectively with children and teens involved in fire play.  The fire service professionals educate children and their families about fire and how to develop good fire safety practices.  Counseling professionals assess the risk of continued fire involvement and help children and their families deal with problems that may contribute to the fire-setting.  TAPP-c  is free of charge and is available in Muskoka to children from 2-17 years of age.

Things to watch for:

If you notice any of the following your child may be involved in fire-play:

• matches or lighters go missing
• matches or lighters are found among your child’s belongings
• there are burn marks on household items or your child’s clothing or possessions
• your child is extremely interested in fire

Keep your child safe from fire:

You can help protect your child and family from fire by following these fire safety tips:

*    make sure that young children are supervised at all times

• keep matches and lighters locked away where children cannot get them
• model fire safe behaviours, never use fire in reckless or irresponsible ways
• install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas.  Test them regularly
• develop and practice a home fire escape plan

If you have a concern about a child’s fireplay or would like more information about the program, please call  645-4426 or toll-free at 1-800-680-4426.

What is TAPP-c? 

TAPP-c is an intervention program to reduce fire involvement (intentional firesetting and/or match/lighter play) and to promote fire safety among children aged 2-17 years.

Over half of all known incendiary fires in Ontario are motivated largely by mischief and vandalism. Of these fires, the majority are set by children. Firesetting is extremely dangerous behaviour with potentially grave consequences. Unsupervised fire involvement puts children and their families at risk of serious injury or death. TAPP-c is one of the most effective programs available to a community to address juvenile firesetting.

TAPP-Cc is a collaborative intervention program that is delivered by the fire services in Muskoka and Family Youth and Child Services of Muskoka.

It is based on the premise that this activity is best addressed through a combination of fire safety education and appropriate mental health service. It is family-based in design so that all family members benefit from participation.

Children involved with fire are referred to the program by parents or caregivers, local fire or police departments, schools, mental health centres, probation offices, crown attorneys, judges or any other concerned individuals or agencies.

Once a child is referred to the program, the local participating fire department will schedule a TAPP-Cc Home Fire Safety Check and fire safety education sessions with the child and family. The child will also be referred to a local mental health professional for assessment. The child will be assessed  using a protocol developed specifically by the Clarke for TAPP-c. This assessment is intended to determine why a particular child is involved in firesetting and whether mental health treatment is required.

The program begins with the TAPP-Cc Fire Safety Education component, designed to create an awareness of the dangers associated with firesetting and to instill children with a sense of responsibility for their actions. It consists of four age-specific sessions, the first of which is the Home Fire Safety Check. This check is conducted by specially trained members of the fire department to ensure that there are working smoke alarms in the home, that matches/lighters are not accessible to children, and that escape routes are planned and practiced. By making the home more fire-safe, the potential risk for children and their families is reduced. The other three educational sessions, which teach basic fire safety, are usually held at the local fire station. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to attend these educational sessions with the child.

The program continues with the TAPP-Cc assessment protocol which evaluates a child's risk of further firesetting and the risk of future injury/fatality. Once assessed, children, together with their families, are provided with the appropriate treatment.

It is important to understand that TAPP-c differs from most other juvenile fire setting programs in that the risk assessment is conducted by mental health professionals and not by the fire service. Fire involvement is often a symptom of an underlying mental health problem and needs to be investigated as such. The failure to detect and treat such a disturbance can have very serious consequences.

Funding for the program comes from the Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council and allows the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to continue ongoing research into juvenile firesetting.

For more information about TAPP-C please contact us, Family Youth & Child Services of Muskoka at 645-4426 or 1-800-680-4426. You can also contact the professionals at CAMH; Dr. Sherri MacKay, 416-535-8501 ext.4653, Joanna Henderson, 416-535-8501 ext. 4959.

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Last modified: January 01, 2008