Kids Who Start Fires: Riverside County Invests In Youth Intervention

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Funding for a program intended to provide "interventions" that steer youth away from starting fires was authorized Tuesday by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

In a 5-0 vote, the board signed off on a $358,000 contract with "fire setter profiler" Laura Billon of Oceanside, who is a senior educator in the Fire Technology Department at Miramar College in San Diego. The agreement calls for her to establish a juvenile fire intervention program.

"In Riverside County, we need to provide youths and families with interventions," county fire spokeswoman Jody Hagemann told the board. "We want to make sure youths and their families have an avenue to go for assistance. This is about prevention through education early on."

Fire Chief Bill Weiser expressed strong support for the proposal, saying that it was aimed largely at stopping children "from starting fires around homes."

"For a long time, we didn't have the ability to deal with this issue. It was often quite frustrating," Weiser said.

Hagemann advocated a countywide program after attending classes taught by Billon, who has developed JFIPs for the Honolulu Fire Department and the Department of Emergency Management for Duchess County, New York, according to documents posted to the board's agenda.

"A lot of these young people have shown a history (of fire-starting)," board Chairman Jeff Hewitt said. "These red flags go off. Kids can buy a book of matches and a lighter anywhere. This (program) is about changing the mentality."

Supervisor Karen Spiegel said she became a fan of intervention programs after seeing the one put in place by the Corona Fire Department.

"So many individuals and youths have had support for changing their behavior," she said.

Under the new contract, which will be in effect until March 2024, Billon will set up a JFIP that contains "risk assessment tools to identify at-risk youth," as well as develop policies, procedures and protocols for addressing situations where minors exhibit fire-prone proclivities.

"This program will focus on providing outreach and educational material to minors and their parents or guardians ... as an opportunity for families to work with Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department, partnering agencies and stakeholders to address concerns regarding their children and fire-setting behavior," according to an agency statement posted to the board's agenda.

The contract was a "no-bid" award to retain Billon, with the fire department stating that she deserved sole consideration due to her being "uniquely qualified to consult on what the program needs and train staff in all areas of a successful JFIP."

The $358,000 is a not-to-exceed amount and originates from a state grant — not the county General Fund.