In the earlier March of 2018, another school was privileged enough to hear a fireman’s wise words, in the form of an assembly. The pupils gained, not only an understanding of safety in the home, but a re-established knowledge on what arson, in particular, is as a crime.
Listening to the assembly myself, I was able to pick out a few of the most crucial notes to take home with me, and to share. One of the most significant points was “If it is intentional, and if it is damaging a person or property, it is classed as arson.”
It came as quite a shock that ‘setting fire to aerosols’ was classed as an arson-related crime. This was because, when setting alight the aerosol, you are putting the people with you as well as the building you are in/near at risk, and are intending to cause a fire (whether or not you have assessed the possible knock-on effects). Furthermore, the fireman continued to say that when in this act, you are under the threat that the whole can explodes, causing great level of damage.
Another important note was the severity of the crime. After several suggestions, it was revealed that the maximum sentence for arson-related crimes was life sentence. The fireman explained that this crime is ranked similarly with homicide, and thus has the same ultimate sentence.
Finally, the fireman added that fire-alarmed should be “checked as regularly as once a week” and it is recommended that the fire alarm should be serviced twice annually, which the government supports also.
The last few minutes of the assembly ended with the diverse roles of the firemen, in which the fireman was sure to note that, “You shouldn’t call a fireman to rescue a cat from a tree, unless it has been there for over 24 hours.”
