Citation

Bumpass ER, Brix RJ, Preston D. Hosp. Community Psychiatry 1985; 36(5): 529-533.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1985, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

4007808

Abstract

In 1981 the Dallas Fire Department began a new program for juvenile firesetters. Based on an interview graphing technique that helps the juvenile firesetter to correlate triggering events with feelings leading to aggressive firesetting behavior, the program is staffed by fire department personnel who are trained by psychiatric faculty of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. Comparisons with the city's previous program demonstrate the new program's effectiveness in preventing the recurrence of firesetting behavior as well as its cost-efficiency. Similar programs have been successfully adopted in Houston and Fort Worth.