TAPP - C Steering Committee
TAPP - C was introduced to the community of Dryden in February 2001 by the Center for Addiction and Mental Health and the Office of the Fire Marshal. More recently, a TAPP - C protocol was formalized between children's mental health services and the fire departments and include the following areas: City of Dryden, Oxdrift, Machin and Ignace. In addition, other key services providers are invited to take part in ongoing planning and networking initiatives related to TAPP - C.

The TAPP - C Steering Committee will continue to meet on a regular basis to ensure quality in the delivery of services to children and families in the area.

The Steering Committee is comprised of the following organizations:

- The Office of the Fire Marshal
- The City of Dryden Fire Service
- Oxdrift Volunteer Fire Department
- Machin Volunteer Fire Department
- Ignace Fire Department
- Patricia Center for Children and Youth
- Kenora-Patricia Child and Family Services
- Center for Addiction and Mental Health
- Dryden Police Service
- Ontario Provincial Police
- Probation and Parole Service
- Crown Attorney's Office

What Is TAPP – C?

TAPP – C is an assessment and intervention program aimed at reducing the incidence of youth fire-setting in the community. This program is based on the premise that for most youth, fire setting is a behavioral problem that can be corrected with a combination of education and psychological counselling.

Purpose Of TAPP – C

1.To help reduce the number of fires, injuries and loss of life and property that is caused by child firesetters.
2.Through the assessment, the program will be able to distinguish between firesetters who exhibit a normal curiosity about fire and those who may have a serious mental health problem of which setting fires is a symptom.
3.To use education as the number one tool to help reduce child firesetting.
4.To ensure that all children in the program receive fire safety education.
5.Depending on the results of the assessments, to refer some children to mental health professionals for treatment.

Program Goals

TAPP – C is an awareness program designed to promote/foster attitudes and behaviors that will result in good fire safety practises. For most children, fireplay is the result of a normal curiosity about fire. They do not understand or know how to handle fire properly. For some, however, fireplay is a symptom of other problems. This program helps to determine why a particular child is involved in firesetting and depending upon the assessment, provide for the appropriate treatment and follow-up.

Educational Goals

- To teach children about fire, its causes, and the dangers of playing with fire.
- To teach children and their families the proper behaviors concerning matches and lighters.
- To teach children and their families the proper procedures to use in case of fire.
- To help children and their families develop a responsible attitude toward the prevention of fires within a family setting.
- To help children and their families understand the dangers of fire.

How Is TAPP – C Setup?

TAPP – C is a collaborative intervention program that is delivered by both fire service and mental health professionals in the community. It is based on the premise that unsupervised fire involvement by most juveniles is best addressed through a combination of fire safety education and appropriate mental health service. It is family-based in design so that all family members benefit from participation.

Children involved with fire are referred to the program by parents or caregivers, local fire or police departments, schools, mental health centres, probation offices, crown attorneys, judges, or any other concerned individuals or agencies.

Once a child is referred to the program, the local participating fire department will immediately schedule a ‘Home Fire Safety Check’ and fire safety education sessions with the child and family. The child will also be referred to a local mental health professional for assessment. The child will be assessed using a protocol developed specifically by the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry for TAPP – C. This assessment is intended to determine why a particular child is involved in firesetting and whether mental health treatment is required.