Contact:
Karl Newman, President
Darrin Sanger, Communications Director     
NW Insurance Council    
Phone: (206) 624-3330
Fax: (206) 624-1975
karl.newman@nwinsurance.org
darrin.sanger@nwinsurance.org

Ann Lewis, President
Oregon Chapter 31IAAI
Phone: (800) 497-7340
Fax: (503) 603-6439
ann.lewis@allstate.com

New $5,000 Arson Award fund now available to Oregon citizens who help catch arsonists

SEATTLE - A $5,000 award fund is now available to Oregon citizens who help put arsonists behind bars - proving that fighting crime can pay.

NW Insurance Council and the Oregon Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) are introducing a new $5,000 annual awards program for citizens who provide information to investigators that result in the arrest or conviction of arsonists.

"Arsonists hurt all of us by destroying lives and property and by driving up insurance rates," said Karl Newman, NW Insurance Council president. "The arson awards program acknowledges citizens who provide law enforcement with key information that helps them catch arsonists."

Arson is a deadly and costly crime, killing hundreds of people each year and destroying hundreds of millions of dollars in property. Nationally, arson kills more than 300 people each year and injures thousands. Arson fires also put firefighters at needless risk. FBI statistics indicate only 17 percent of all arson offenses result in arrests.

"Arson can, and does, affect all of us," said Ann Lewis, president, Oregon Chapter IAAI. "Our hope is that this awards program will assist criminal justice agencies with identifying, investigating and prosecuting those responsible for this serious crime."

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

For more information about arson, visit NW Insurance Council or the OR Chapter/IAAI .

NW Insurance Council is a nonprofit, public-education organization funded by member insurance companies in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

The Oregon IAAI is a nonprofit organization united for mutual benefit those public officials and private persons engaged in the control of arson and kindred crimes.

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