April 22, 2002Contact: Kara Gavin, [email protected]
Carrie Hagen, [email protected], 734-764-2220
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE 4 p.m. CDT, April 25, 2002
Learning not to burn:
Launch of new program will help hospitals, fire departments & schools prevent juvenile arson and educate kids about the dangers of playing with fire
CHICAGO -- A new, innovative, hospital-based program being launched nationally this week by the University of Michigan Health System could help prevent fire-setting and accidental burns among America's children and teens, reducing the devastating effect that arson and fire currently have on the nation's property and health.
The Straight Talk program, to be unveiled April 25 in a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Burn Association in Chicago, offer hospitals, fire departments, juvenile courts and schools a proven way to communicate with kids and teens about the tragic and painful medical consequences of burn injuries. It was designed by experts at the U-M Trauma Burn Center, who are respected nationwide for their treatment, research and injury-prevention education efforts.
"We hope we can stem the tide of fire experimentation, juvenile arson and burn injuries by sharing our community-based approach to helping children understand what fire can do to them and to others," says Pamela Pucci, R.N., B.S.N., the U-M injury prevention educator presenting the program. "We want every hospital, fire department, teacher and parent to know there's something they can do to stop the needless suffering that can result when children and fire combine."
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, more than half of all people arrested for arson in the U.S. each year are under the age of 18. This statistic is the tip of the iceberg, however, as fire-setting behavior by juveniles often goes unreported. Over half of elementary school children admit to experimenting with fire sometime during childhood, and without intervention, fire "play" can escalate to more dangerous behavior. Juveniles start more than a third of the fires that kill children under age 6, and civilian fire deaths are on the rise, totaling 4,045 in the year 2000.
The rise in young burn victims and fire-starters led U-M burn experts to design Straight Talk, an intensive program for high-risk children ages 8 to 17 who have been cited for arson or displayed fire-setting behavior. It has already been proven to prevent nearly all recidivism in 132 young arsonists and fire-setters who participated in the initial program at the U-M, as compared with 37 percent recidivism among 100 comparable young people who did not go through the program.
Straight Talk brings at-risk kids and their parents into a burn unit or hospital for a day-long, first-hand look at what their actions could do to themselves or to others -- including the fire fighters who also take part in the program. Participants can be referred to the program by the juvenile court system, a local fire department, school officials, or their parents.
"After several years of development and evaluation at UMHS, Straight Talk is now ready to be implemented across the nation," says Pucci. "We will soon offer training sessions at our Trauma Burn Center for hospital staff who want to start similar programs in their communities."
In addition to the Straight Talk training program, the UMHS Trauma Burn Center injury prevention team has produced a powerful, realistic and moving video aimed at all children, teens and adults, called "In an Instant..."
The video takes viewers inside the stories of children and teens who suffered painful burn injuries through accidents or carelessness with gasoline, go-karts, hot water and matches. The video follows them through their treatment and lets them tell viewers in their own words what they have gone through physically and psychologically, and how important it is to be careful around fire and flammable or hot liquids.
The children's stories are interspersed with footage of the different stages of burn treatment, and interviews with fire fighters who have risked their lives in fires, medical staff who have cared for burn patients, and with Pucci and Paul Taheri, M.D., M.B.A., the director of the U-M Trauma Burn Center. In addition to showing the medical consequences of fire, the video also emphasizes important prevention tips and cautionary messages.
"By giving kids, teens and adults a glimpse of the excruciating treatment, lifelong scarring, and risk of death that can begin literally in an instant with the striking of a match or a careless spark, we hope to drive home the message of the importance of caution and prevention," says Taheri, who is an associate professor of surgery; division chief of Trauma, Burn and Emergency Surgery; and assistant dean at the U-M Medical School.
The video, available for only $100 to non-profits like fire departments and schools, delivers a poignant message about the medical repercussions of fire -- a message often left out of other educational fire-prevention videos that focus on property damage. The cost includes two video tapes of different lengths: a 28-minute version and a 9-minute version.
Thomas Taddonio, M.A., director of the U-M Trauma Burn Resource Center, envisions that "In an Instant..." could be shown at school assemblies, fire department community events, Scout meetings, and other occasions.
He also hopes that educators, fire fighters, community agencies will order and use it as part of their fire-prevention efforts. Hospitals and emergency responders will be able to use it to educate their own staff about the important of rapid delivery of specialized burn care to increase the chances of survival and good medical outcomes.
Pucci emphasizes that Straight Talk, including the video "In an Instant..." is not a "scared straight" program. Rather, it's a powerful educational tool that can open the eyes of children and teens to a side of fire they have never seen: the potential pain and suffering that deliberate or careless actions could cause. She also notes that the program can be customized to meet the individual needs of the presenting institution or group.
Hospitals that send representatives to a U-M Straight Talk training program will watch an entire all-day Straight Talk session being held for Michigan children who have been referred to the program.
They will also receive a manual on implementing Straight Talk at their institution in cooperation with local fire officials, a CD-ROM, slides, brochures, sample packets of information and home safety equipment such as smoke detectors that they can customize and give to participants at their sites, the two "In an Instant..." videos and another fire prevention video.
For more information on Straight Talk or "In an Instant..." visit the Injury Prevention section of www.traumaburn.org or call (734) 763-7757.
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NOTE TO REPORTERS: Past Straight Talk participants, and children profiled in "In an Instant..." are available for interviews. A video package of footage is also available.
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