A new report released Wednesday by the National Fire Protection Association dispels the myth that arson is the fastest growing crime in America.

To the contrary, arson crimes have been trending downward in recent years, according to the NFPA report. In  2003, the number of arson fires in the U.S. (37,500) was the lowest the NFPA has ever recorded and the rate of arson offenses relative to population decreased by 6% from the previous year. (The number of arson fires does not include suspicious fires or fires with undetermined causes, but if those are included, recent numbers are still the lowest NFPA has ever recorded.)

The report offers synthesized data from the NFPA, U.S. Fire Administration's National Fire Incident Reporting System and FBI on intentional fires and arson crimes, as well as data from Canada, Japan, and the U.K.

Findings of the report:

• Civilian deaths and property damage in intentional structure fires in 2003 also dropped to historic lows of 305 and $692 million, respectively.
• Juvenile fire-setters -- for the ninth consecutive year -- accounted for half or more (50.8%) of those arrested for the crime in 2003. Though the percentage of children fire-setters under 10 is by far the lowest (3.2% in 2003) since at least 1980, that percentage is still much higher than for any other crime the FBI tracks.
• Intentionally set fires and arson in structures or vehicles have been trending downward since 1980.
• Cities versus towns:  Relative to population, the rates of intentional structure fires are highest in large cities, but rural communities have higher rates than do small towns.
• Residential versus non-residential: Every year, the majority of intentionally set structure fires occur in homes, not surprising considering that most arson arrestees are juveniles. Of the homes suffering intentional fires in the latest statistics, one-forth to one-third were vacant, idle, under construction, or being renovated or demolished.
  

“Wider use of sophisticated investigative techniques that may give a truer picture of fire causes could account for the downward trend,” according to an NFPA statement on the report. “Other possible factors include more widespread counseling for juvenile fire-setters, arson task forces and other anti-arson programs, and decline in the arson-prone age and gender in the general population.”

How does the fire service keep that downward trend going?

The NFPA suggests extending anti-arson programs across the country, improving inter-agency cooperation to make arson task forces and strike force programs more effective and following new models for juvenile fire-setters counseling programs that tailor treatment to the particular circumstances of each fire-setter.

For more details, see “Intentional Fires and Arson” by John R. Hall, Jr. at the NFPA’s One-Stop Data Shop You can also order the report by e-mailing osds@nfpa.org or by phone at 617-984-7450 .