Washington, DC (January 20, 2023) – Vision 20/20, a project of the Institution of Fire Engineers-USA Branch, has assumed ownership of the YFIRES project and database from the Burn Prevention Network (BPN) of Pennsylvania. Transition of ownership occurred in mid-January and will become an integral part of Vision 20/20’s collaborative efforts in addressing youth firesetting behavior across the nation.
The YFIRES database is the only national repository on firesetting behaviors among children and youth under 18 years of age. It is a two-tiered database that contains: 1) National data set with 20 deidentified data elements; 2) Local program case management data set with more than 150 data elements. Started in 2011 by a national consortium of over 30 organizations and governmental agencies, it currently supports over 500 registered programs and contains 5,000+ records. It is used by state and local governmental agencies, hospitals, universities, fire departments, and institutions to track and analyze data on children who misuse fire.
The YFIRES project and database are important tools to gain a deeper understanding of the youth firesetting problem across the nation and ways to integrate efforts from Vision 20/20’s collaborative partners to address challenges says Stephen Hrustich, Vision 20/20 project manager. “The dataset has incredible value toward research into Youth firesetting on a national level and will allow Vision 20/20 to undertake projects that identify best practices, youth firesetting intervention models that are most effective, and best ways to integrate tools and messaging into our current advocacy and culture strategies. Vision 20/20 understands that most fire departments across the nation don’t have the resources in place for youth firesetting intervention and this project integrates well with the Statewide Collaboration & Engagement Framework (SCEF) to build capacity for resource challenged organizations to find support for their communities. Our goals are to maintain free use of the YFIRES project and database for all fire departments and reporting entities, while exponentially growing the number of organizations using the database” he added. “YFIRES clearly aligns with Vision 20/20’s mission to identify gaps, evaluate and apply data-driven strategies, resources and provide guidance in implementing adaptive measures to reduce the risk of youth firesetting behavior.”
Vision 20/20 is a collaboration project of the Institution of Fire Engineers – USA Branch and is guided by a Advisory Council of national fire safety advocate organizations working with a network of experts and leaders from across the country. It focuses on addressing the gaps in fire prevention and promoting Community Risk Reduction by developing free tools and resources and fostering an exchange of ideas about best practices. More information can be found at www.StrategicFire.org and on Twitter and Facebook @strategicfire.
