Departments

Emergency Services

Office of the Fire Marshal

The Bucks County Fire Marshal Department advises the Bucks County Commissioners in matters regarding fire protection and safety within Bucks County. The Bucks County Fire Marshal Department operates and maintains a juvenile firesetter intervention program, in an effort to address the juvenile firesetting problem, and reduce the threat of fire from our young population. This Department also inspects all of the County Government's owned and leased properties for fire safety. We also inspect provider homes for the Bucks County Area Agency on Aging and Foster Care Homes for the Children and Youth Agency. We maintain the many fire alarms, security alarms and panic alarms in the numerous Bucks County owned and leased properties. The County of Bucks presently owns and operates its own Central Station to monitor all County owned emergency alarms. This Department also maintains thousands of Bucks County's portable fire extinguishers.

The Bucks County Fire Marshal Department maintains a staff of a Chief Fire Marshal, two Assistant Fire Marshals, a Fire Safety Inspector, Secretarial Staff and a Fire Safety Educator. We provide an on call Fire Marshal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to assist local fire companies and fire marshals in the investigation of fires within various jurisdictions.

The Bucks County Fire Marshal Department can be reached at:	Ph: 215-340-8730 Fax: 215-957-0765
Normal work hours:	Monday - Friday 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.

 

Bucks County Fire Marshal Department
Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Program
" Fire Professionals Aiding Children"
" Fire PAC "

Fire Professionals Aiding Children "Fire PAC" is a program that operates through the Bucks County Fire Marshal's Department and deals with the inappropriate and potentially dangerous use of fire and firesetting behavior in young lives, between the ages of 3-17. The association between kids and fire are born from many different reasons

• As a coping Mechanism in response to - Excessive stress, Frustration, Anger, Abuse, Neglect, a lack of discipline, excessive discipline, Experiencing Losses in Life, No Father, Peer Rejection, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD), Oppositioinally Deficient Disorder (ODD), and many others.
• Delinquent behavior - peer pressure - influence
• Psychological issues - problems
• Simple curiosity

Juvenile firesetting is a growing and largely untreated problem, in our nation today. The act of simple fire play or the known behavior of firesetting, may initially seem non-threatening, but can reap havoc and devastation in seconds. The beginning of this potentially life threatening and dangerous behavior is often found in children such as those described above. These children and young people, may express a strong and unusual interest in fire as witnessed in a variety of ways, some of which include:
. Possessing lighters and matches where there is no need for them, Playing with lighters - matches, Barbecue Grill Lighters, Burning Barbecue Grills without reason, Burning candles - papers - trash items, Melting & burning Plastics, any unusual or outstanding use or misuse of fire!
Firesetting is a learned and progressive behavior and does not go away on its own. It is often hidden from the parent's sight, yet at any given moment may become manifest and recognized as a "cry for help" to underlying problems! This behavior, if left un-addressed, will often continue and worsen in time, leading to greater problems.

The Fire PAC program is equipped to handle this firesetting behavior, by first meeting with the family and assessing the problem; determine the depth of fire involvement and degree of concern. Then, intercede with appropriate interventions that include, education the child and parents in Fire-Safety-Science Education, and assistance in finding Professional Counseling Services when necessary.

Fire PAC serves the public in concert with multiple disciplines that include:
. Mental Health, Children & Youth Social Services, Local School Systems, Juvenile Probation, Fire and Police Services. If you have a question or need help, please call The Bucks County Fire Marshal's Department "Fire PAC" program.

All matters are confidential.