• Introduction
• From the Editor
• The MB Interview
• Poll Question
• Fire Services
• Mental Health
• Juvenile Justice
• Pediatric Burn Care
• Schools

Dear Fellow Professional:
MatchBook is a journal and website devoted to connecting the disciplines serving youth involved in firesetting behaviors. Nationally, children who play with fire cause nearly 80,000 structure fires per year, which results in approximately 760 deaths and more than 3,500 injuries.1 More specifically, youth-set fires are killing approximately 500 children annually and 85 percent of youth-set fires are started by children playing with matches or lighters.2, 3 When nearly 85 percent of the victims of child-set fires are the children themselves and juvenile firesetting causes an estimated $1.2 billion in damage annually, we clearly have a challenge in front of us. 4

For some time, fire services, mental health professionals, juvenile justice agencies, burn hospitals and schools have been disconnected from one another. When they are called upon to respond to youth who set fires, they often operate in isolation, unable to effectively communicate between the professional disciplines that together make up the common services that serve youths in crisis. MatchBook is a national and international call to action to all constituencies responding to juvenile firesetters; it is time to come together to share research, promising practices, upcoming educational forums, current events and news. It is our hope that MatchBook will become a powerful voice and clearing house of information that not only connects the different constituencies, but begins to influence public policy. Juvenile firesetting is a dangerous and treatable behavior; together we can influence public awareness and practice that will save lives and reduce property loss.

I believe the time has come where there is the correct combination of knowledge, desire and resources to develop national policies and treatment practices by working together.

Sincerely,

Timothy M. Callahan, Ed.D., Editor in Chief

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