Young people set fires for various reasons, ranging from natural curiosity to unnatural fascination.

Playing with fire and setting fires must always be taken seriously as fire can easily spread out of control and cause injury or death.

What we do

Our Fire Safety Interventions helps people aged under 18 and their families to understand the danger and consequences of fire.

We do this by visiting families to carry out home safety checks and talk about fire safety. Every case is considered individually, so the duration and content of our visits vary depending on the situation.

Advice for parents and carers

As well as following our usual home safety advice, it’s important to:

• talk to children about the dangers of fire
• always keep matches, lighters and candles out of reach of children
• never assume that toddlers and infants are not able to light a match or lighter
• consider your own actions and how they may influence children’s behaviour

You should also teach children to:

• stop, drop and roll if their clothes catch fire
• get out, stay out and call 999 if a fire starts at home
• never put things on top of heaters or lights

Make a referral

If you’re concerned about a child or young person who is deliberately setting fires or showing an overactive interest in fire, complete this referral form.

More information

To talk to someone about our Fire Safety Interventions, call 0191 444 1500 and ask for the Prevention and Education team or email safeguarding@twfire.gov.uk.

You can find more information about our Fire Safety Interventions here.