Personal Lines Pilot
An E-Mail Newsletter for Personal Lines Insurance Professionals
August 18, 2005
http://www.IRMI.com
Issue #25

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

Sheila,

The National Fire Protection Association recently released positive news regarding declining arson rates in the United States. In 2003, the latest year in which complete data is available, the rate of arson offenses relative to population decreased by 6 percent from the previous year. The number of intentionally set structure fires in 2003 dropped to 37,500, marking the lowest number recorded in the 27 years studied.

These figures parallel U.S. property crime rate trends in general. For example, the FBI reported 5,016 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 1979 and 3,588 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2003. Two theories behind this trend are higher rates of criminal imprisonment and more sophisticated policing techniques.

Approximately half of all arrested arson suspects are juveniles. Young persons often start off setting outdoor fires and then move on to structures that bear increasing risk to persons and property. Juveniles also target vacant or abandoned buildings in the inner cities. Counseling programs for juvenile fire-setters may play a role in declining arson rates since these programs are growing and often tailor the treatment to the particular circumstances of each fire setter.

Wider use of sophisticated investigative techniques that provide a truer picture of fire causes may also account for the downward trend. These techniques likely play a role in the increasing conviction of arsonists. According to Dallas Fire Department Chief Kevin Sipes, the "technologies for detecting accelerants such as gasoline have improved over the past several years." His department uses hand-held gas meters that take air samples to ascertain the use of accelerants. The department also now has two accelerant sniffing canines that have proven very successful. Chief Sipes adds that the department "works closely with insurance adjusters on big fires to determine whether they are arson-related." State laws allow insurers and fire departments to exchange arson information, which eliminates the threat of civil suits for libel or violation of privacy.

State Farm Insurance Company® is active in its support of utilizing dogs in arson investigations. For example, the Maine Criminal Justice Academy helped pioneer a program that uses accelerant-sniffing dogs. State Farm pays the costs of training and certifying approximately ten dogs and their handlers per year for this program. This thorough certification process, which lasts 5 weeks, is important because the evidence revealed by the dog and its handler is increasingly used in criminal and civil trials to convict arsonists.

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All the best,

Rob

Robin K. Olson, CPCU, ARM, ARP
Senior Research Analyst
International Risk Management Institute, Inc.

Reproduced with permission of the publisher, International Risk Management Institute, Inc., Dallas, Texas from Personal Lines Pilot.  Further reproduction prohibited.  To sign up for your free subscription, visit IRMI.com.