Juvenile arson is agrowing concern
 BY PAT KIMBROUGH
 ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
  HIGH POINT – Juveniles getting their kicks by dabbling with fire is nothing new to authorities.
  But they say the types of fireplay they’re noticing among children – particularly those age 10 to 14 – has become more serious.
  “It is a growing problem,” said Capt. Denita Lynch of the High Point Fire Department. “Back in the old days, if a kid set an outbuilding on fire, or played with matches, it’s pretty much pat them on the hand and say, ‘ No, don’t do that,’ and then you release them to their parents. Now, we do take it more seriously, because, what we’re finding is, with a lot of these kids, fire-setting is the least of their problems.”
  The number of reported juvenile-related or suspected fires in the city has more than doubled since 2004.
  The incidents include cases where children apparently act for their own amusement – by lighting matches or spraying flammable aerosol while holding a lighter, for example – and instances where they actually set fi res out of malice.
  Lynch oversees the fire department’s Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Program, which is designed to teach fire safety to children who have shown signs of fire-setting behavior. Some of the children who take part in the program are referred by Guilford County Mental Health and the county’s Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. In some cases, school resource officers refer children to the program. Sometimes, participation is mandated by the courts.
  “The bad thing is now, it’s not like it used to be back in the old days where you see kids who would just light a piece of paper on fire,” Lynch said. “Kids nowadays are trying things much more dangerous and lethal ... Now, their fireplay is much more serious and they’re using it as a way to get back at family or whoever. It’s just different. Times are changing, so now it’s one of those things where we have to take it more seriously.
pkimbrough@hpe.com 888-3531