Extinguishing the Desire to Play with Fire

A curious child strikes a match. A frustrated girl starts a fire to attract attention. An angry boy burns down an abandoned building.

Pamela Pucci and Paul Taheri Photo: Martin Vloet

Educators at the University of Michigan Trauma Burn Center had all of them in mind when they created Straight Talk, a hospital-based program for young people who are involved in fire play, fire-setting and arson. Pamela Pucci, a registered nurse, is the program’s injury prevention educator. She says the main goal is to prevent injuries. “Education is a critical component of prevention.”

Paul Taheri, M.D., director of the Trauma Burn Center, agrees. “By showing kids what can happen when they carelessly strike a match or play with fire, we hope to drive home the importance of caution and prevention. We want to bring these children through the front door and educate them about the dangers of fire, rather than having to treat them after they are already injured,” he says.

Prior to Straight Talk’s premier, volunteers from the community participated in a trial run. Here, volunteer children peer into the Trauma Burn operating room.

Straight Talk was created in 1999 after specialists at the Trauma Burn Center noticed a 17 percent increase in pediatric burn admissions. To date, more than 200 children have been through the program, and less than one percent of them have returned to their fire-setting behavior. By comparison, the recidivism rate for non-participants is 37 percent.

“A distraught grandmother once called for help with her 10-year-old grandson, who had just set his 10th fire,” says Pucci. “He had been to a psychiatrist. The fire department had spoken to him. Nothing helped. He and his grandparents drove three hours to attend one of our classes. In the two years since, he has not set one fire.”

Straight Talk places a special emphasis on the medical consequences of playing with fire — an aspect rarely addressed by other programs. “When the program was first introduced, many agencies wondered what a hospital was doing teaching fire safety,” says Pucci. “Now, those same agencies are the ones referring children to us.”

The program, sponsored by the Friends of U-M Hospitals and Health Centers, is geared toward children ages eight to 17. The juvenile court system, fire departments, parents, schools and other community agencies can all make referrals. Day-long sessions are held once each month.

Classes give high-risk youths and their parents the opportunity to interact with medical professionals, injury prevention specialists, local firefighters and burn survivors.

Children learn about fire’s damaging effects on the body: scalds; electrical, chemical and fire injuries; the anatomy and function of the skin; the different degrees of burn and the treatment process. They also hear from a burn victim, who speaks to them about the emotional difficulties of a burn injury and the recovery process. “Survivors play an extremely important role,” says Pucci. “The program gives them the opportunity to come back and teach prevention.”

In addition to hearing first-hand medical knowledge, children and their parents watch “In an Instant...”— a video that pulls no punches in telling the stories of children and teens with painful burn injuries. Produced by Victor/Harder Productions, Inc., the video recently won a Golden Eagle award from CINE, a national organization that recognizes excellence in non-theatrical films.

Kids also learn from firefighters about fire investigation, and search and rescue efforts. Hearing about the dangers of fighting fires reminds the program’s participants that their high-risk behavior puts others in danger. “Firefighters have families and lives that they risk every time they respond to a call,” says Pucci. “Many kids fail to realize that.”

The program concludes with a talk from a social worker. During the presentation, children learn why and where people set fires. They also learn about consequences like punishment, probation and economic costs.

At the end of the class, children and their families are given a home safety kit. The package includes a video, smoke detector tester, emergency beacon light, a fire safety book and home safety magazines. Families can also obtain free fire extinguishers and smoke detectors through the program. “The goal is to provide them with the supplies they need to have a safe home,” says Pucci.

Pucci emphasizes that Straight Talk is not a “scared straight” program. Instead, she says, the class is meant to be an educational, hands-on experience. “There are so many people who don’t understand the full scope of a burn injury,” she says. “Every day is a constant fight to teach parents and children about the dangers and life-long consequences of playing with fire.”

—GS

To learn more about Straight Talk, visit the U-M Trauma Burn Center Web site at: www.traumaburn.org.