United States Fire Administration

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United States Fire Administration Arson Awareness
Week 5-11 May 2002
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The United States Fire Administration
takes seriously its role in arson prevention
education and detection training and we are
pleased to partner with the law enforcement
community on efforts to reduce this senseless
crime that costs the nation millions of dollars
in fire losses. R. David Paulison United
States Fire Administrator
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Arson Awareness Week is a national
public education campaign held during the
first week of May that encourages communities to
become involved in the solutions to their arson
problems.
Along with arson prevention grant cities,
participating cities and chapters of the IAAI
host events and activities in virtually every
State.
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Arson Awareness Week encourages and assists
communities to become involved in the solutions
to their arson problems. Arson Awareness Week
increases national awareness and understanding of
the U.S. arson problem and shows community
leaders successful solutions in arson prevention.
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• Goals of Arson Awareness Week are
• To create a national recognition, awareness
• and understanding of the arson problem
• in the United States.
• To encourage communities to get
• involved in the dissemination of arson
• awareness information by creating a simple,
• identifiable and unifying message for
• arson prevention.

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• Goals of Arson Awareness Week
• Organize local events that raise a
• communitys awareness of arson issues.
• Engage national, regional and local media
• outlets in delivering the message.

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Arson Awareness Week Tools

• PSAs
• AAW Events
• Arson Speech
• Sample Resolution
• Sample Proclamation
• Posters
• Arson Fact Sheet
• AAW Press Releases

www.usfa.fema.gov/arson 1-888-603-3100
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• Arson Awareness Week Partnerships
• International Assn of Arson Investigators
• National Volunteer Fire Council
• USFA Arson Prevention Grant Communities
• International Assn of Special Investigation
  Units
• Insurance Committee for Arson Control
• International Assn of Chiefs of Police

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"Arson is a crime that has taken too many
victims destroyed too much property and eroded
the tax base in too many communities. We can and
must act together to eradicate this serious
crime by insisting on more aggressive
investigations, better insurance underwriting and
tougher sentencing of convicted arsonists."
I.J. Kranats, CFI, President International
Association of Arson Investigators
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IACP Support
In October 2001, the International Association of
Chiefs of Police (IACP) adopted a resolution in
support of National Arson Awareness week during
their 108th Annual Conference. The resolution
calls on all IACP members to support Arson
Awareness Week and to promote awareness,
understanding and prevention of arson crimes.
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Arson Awareness Week

• USFA has spearheaded AAW activities
• since 1997 as part of the National Arson
• Prevention Initiative
• 1997 Church Arson
• 1998 Target Arson
• 1999 Arson Prevention
• 2000 Juvenile Arson
• 2001 Abandoned Buildings

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2002 Arson Is NOT A Victimless Crime
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Firefighters responding to vacant building fires
often fall victim to the arsonists act.
Firefighters cant assume the building is empty
of people. The buildings condition and contents
make them extremely hazardous. Firefighters are
3 times more likely to be injured or killed while
responding to an arson versus a non-arson fire.
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The community pays too. Arson fires represent
approximately 25 of this Nations fire problem
totaling over 1.3 billion in property loss.
Arson set fires often result in damage to
adjacent properties and buildings. The loss of
loved ones friends, co-workers and the costs of
protection, investigation, insurance are borne by
all of us.
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Families and children are the first victims of
the arsonist. In 2000, Arson killed more than
500 Americans. An estimated 75,000 structure
fires were deliberately set or suspected of
having been deliberately set. More than 20,000
families were displaced due to arson fires in
2000.
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Fighting Arson
Fighting arson effectively is a team challenge -
taking the entire community. A coordinated
effort by local, state and federal agencies and
the insurance industry.
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Arson Is NOT A Victimless Crime!