Everyone feels the effects of arson. Fire-gutted buildings and burned-out businesses impact communities with a chain reaction of unemployment, a reduced tax base, and higher insurance premiums. The U.S. Senate calls arson the nation's fastest growing and most costly crime against property. Some estimates place arson growth over the past decade at more than 400 percent.

Key Statistics:

• More than half of all arson fires involve children under the age of 18.
• Vandalism is the leading cause of arson.
• Between 20 and 25 percent of arson fires are drug related.

Oregon (New)
NW Insurance Council has partnered with the Oregon Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) to establish a new $5,000 Arson Awards Fund to assist investigators solve Oregon arson fires. Visit the OC/IAAI to find out more about this new program and how you can help fight arson fires.

If you have information about an arson or suspicious fire that occurred in Oregon, call the Arson Hotline at (800) 452-7888. You may be eligible for an award. Callers may remain anonymous.

Washington
We also fund the Arson Alarm Foundation's annual $10,000 Award Fund and encourage Washington citizens to report information about an arson or a suspicious fire.

Visit the Arson Alarm Foundation to find out how you can help fight arson.

You Can Help
Arson is a shadowy, difficult-to-fight crime. Only 16 percent of arson cases end in arrests. But you can help.

Through the NW Insurance Council, Arson Alarm Foundation offers a $10,000 Reward Fund each year to citizens who provide information that helps authorities arrest or convict arsonists.

Since 1978, the Arson Alarm Foundation has sponsored a toll-free Arson Hotline for Washington residents to report information about suspected arson fires. Perhaps you witnessed or heard something suspicious just before or after a fire.

You might have discovered a clue that could help investigators. If so, call the Arson Hotline at 800-55-ARSON. You don't have to be certain your information is important. You don't even have to leave your name. Simply call the Arson Hotline 24 hours a day, and your information will be promptly given to the appropriate authorities. You could make the difference between a crime going unsolved and putting an arsonist behind bars. Callers may remain anonymous.

Arson Award Program
Arson award nominations can be made by any fire chief, police chief, state police superintendent, sheriff or prosecuting attorney on behalf of an investigator who receives vital information from a private citizen. To be considered for an award, information must concern fires in Washington.

Arson Alarm Foundation Goals
The Foundation seeks to reduce loss of life and property by increasing arson awareness and teaching the public how to fight arson. The Foundation has implemented several anti-arson programs:

• $10,000 Reward Fund
• Grants that help local agencies obtain arson-detection and investigation equipment or training
• Comprehensive research funded through Foundation supporters
• Statewide educational seminars for public officials and private industry
• Media campaigns that teach how to reduce arson
• A toll-free statewide Arson Hotline (800-55-ARSON) yielding information that can lead to arrests and convictions.
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