Arson Awareness Week will be observed May 5-11, and this year’s theme is “Protecting Houses of Worship – Fire as a Weapon.”
Each year from 2020 to 2022, an estimated average of 1,300 fires in places of worship were reported to fire departments in the U.S. These fires resulted in an estimated annual average of $74.6 million in property loss. The leading cause of fires in places of worship was cooking (33%), but intentional actions accounted for an additional 15%.
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) will co-host a webinar with representatives from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Monday, May 6 at 2 p.m. EDT, Protecting Houses of Worship from Arson.
Briefings will include a historical review of attacks on houses of worship using fire as the weapon; a threat and intelligence review of current threat actors, targets, and trends; and a discussion on preventing, protecting, mitigating, and response and recovery for arson events involving houses of worship. There will be a question-and-answer period following the briefings.
Visit USFA’s website for more information about Arson Awareness Week and to register for the webinar. Follow and share information on social media about Arson Awareness Week with the hashtag #AAW.