VIDEO: The Marshfield Fire Department has made it their mission to work with kids who they say have a habit of starting fires, using illegal fireworks, or pulling fire alarm pranks, to help them learn that fire is a tool, not a toy.
Relief Lieutenant Tony Feiter says that it's about more than teaching kids not to play with fire, but also that it can be as serious as life and death. Feiter said, "Youth-set fires are responsible for hundreds of deaths, thousands of burn injuries, and hundreds of thousands in property damage across the United States annually." They're focusing on at-risk youth, trying to impart the importance of fire safety by working with them directly and nearby school districts to make sure they have help when need it.
Firefighter and Paramedic Justin Hansen said, "Sit down with them, talk to them, and figure out exactly why they did it. If they were just curious, or if they had some other motive, depending on what age the child is at."