Fire Awareness Child Education – (FACE)

The FACE scheme has been developed by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and is an educational programme for children aged 4 – 12 years that are suspected of or have demonstrated fire-play tendencies.

The scheme is not aimed at children who are persistent offenders or who are in the process of, or have passed through the courts on arson related offences.

The program has proven to be very successful in helping both parents and children to overcome their problems of fire play.

Many children experiment with fire as a natural process of learning through experimentation.

Children can begin to have an awareness of fire at a very early age and even children as young as 18 months old have started fires. 

As children get older fire play may begin and this will in many cases be as innocent as striking a match and that will be that, others however will do it in unsafe situations eg under their bedclothes, in unoccupied rooms etc.  If this goes on with no suitable intervention it could develop into an unhealthy obsession.

Many people ask why should the Fire Service be involved, should it not be handled by other agencies?  The main reasons are that Fire Officers are considered to be the experts on fire and generally liked by children 

Referrals may be received from a variety of sources including: Parents Guardians or carers, fire Service, police, schools, doctors and health workers.

The program consists of a single visit, conducted in the child’s home always in the presence of a parent or guardian. The duration of the visit will usually be less than an hour during which the fire service personnel will give the youngsters referred to them the benefit of their insight into the hazards of fire and in a staggering 99% of cases the child will not continue to play with fire.

If you suspect your child may be playing with fire or would like advice about the FACE program, please contact us via our Free fire safety advice line 0800 169 1125