Title
To declare the week of May 4-10, to be Arson Awareness Week in Columbus, Ohio.
Body
WHEREAS, the theme of this year's Arson Awareness Week is "Vehicle Arson"; and
WHEREAS, over the past four years, the National Fire Protection Association reports local fire departments responded to an average of 20,400 intentionally set vehicle fires, accounting for seven percent of intentionally set fires and resulting in an average of 32 civilian deaths, 67 civilian injuries, and $176 million in direct property damage; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that over the last ten years, there has been an average of 14,737 vehicle arsons reported, accounting for 26.5 percent of total arsons annually; and
WHEREAS, Two-thirds of intentionally set vehicle fires occur during nighttime hours (9 p.m.- 6 a.m.); and
WHEREAS, to help raise this issue as part of National Arson Awareness Week, the Columbus Division of Fire, Columbus City Schools and the Ohio Blue Ribbon Arson Committee sponsored an Arson Awareness Week Art Contest that challenges local middle and high school art students to design banners about arson prevention; and
WHEREAS, the goal of "Arson Week" is to focus on the importance of the collaborations between fire, emergency services, law enforcement, insurance companies and the justice system to help reduce the occurrence of these destructive crimes; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby declare May 4-10, 2014 as Arson Awareness Week and encourages all citizens to learn more about the tremendous toll arson takes on our community, as well as steps they can take to help prevent it.
WHEREAS, arson is a crime for which our city and our country pay a high price in both property and loss of life; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Fire Administration's National Fire Incident Reporting System reports an estimated 16,800 intentionally set fires in residential buildings occur annually in the United States, and result in an estimated 280 deaths, 775 injuries and $593 million in property loss each year; and
WHEREAS, lighters, heat from other open flame or smoking materials, and matches were the leading heat sources of intentionally set fires in residential buildings, which represent five percent of all residential building fires in the United States; and
WHEREAS, home structure fires account for 60 percent of all intentional structure fires and 95 percent of associated civilian deaths; and