Does Someone Want To Burn Your Building Down? A Handbook for Tenants and Community Organizers on How To Protect Themselves and Their Community Against Arson-for-profit

• NCJ Number: 117558
• Author(s): D Bolger
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 38 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Fire Admin (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
• Sale Source: Greater Roxbury Anti-Arson and Anti-Displacement Organization (GRANDO)
• Publication Type: Citizen Involvement Material
• Language: Spanish; English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This manual uses the experience of the Jamaica Plain (Mass.) Arson Prevention Action Council as the basis for an explanation of how tenants who have experienced or fear a fire can protect themselves from arson-for-profit.

Abstract

The council was a group of volunteers who started meeting after a series of fires in Jamaica Plain and educated itself about arson, its causes, and its solutions. The text explains how to examine a building's financial situation, the owner's fire history, and other factors to determine if an arson fire is likely and how to intervene before a fire happens. The text explains the different kinds of arson fires, the definition of arson-for-profit, the warning signs of arson, and action steps to take if a problem is identified. Tenants are advised to organize, obtain professional assistance, secure the building, have the building inspected, investigate the building's financial history, go public with their information, demand that repairs be made, and ensure the building's long-term stability. Photographs, list of telephone referral numbers in the Boston area, and checklist showing potential violations of the Massachusetts State sanitary code.