AIPC works with children who misuse fire. Our goal is to identify children engaged in dangerous fire setting, provide education for the child & family, and to refer them to other agencies for assistance as appropriate.

Children playing with fire is the second leading cause for injuries in the home. During the five year period from 1994 through 1998, children playing with fire in the home caused an average of: 

• 18,200 Structure fires
• 289 Civilian Fire Deaths
• 2,056 Civilian Fire Injures
• $239.6 million in Direct Property Damage

NFPA The U.S. Fire Problem Overview Report Leading Causes and Other Patterns and Trends June 2001

Please contact Fire Stoppers for further help: 907-346-2888

 

Suicides

Alaska Suicide Follow-Back Study

The Alaska Injury Prevention Center received a grant from the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority via the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council to conduct a three-year Suicide Follow-back Study or psychological autopsy.   The study was recently completed and looked at all 426 suicides in Alaska between September 1, 2003 - August 31, 2006.  The study tried to piece together the individuals’ physical, mental, and emotional history, in an attempt to find common precursors.  The principle investigator was Ron Perkins, AIPC, with help from Teri and Nels Sanddal, Critical Illness and Trauma Foundation, Marcia Howell, AIPC, and Dr. Lanny Berman, American Association of Suicidology.  We examined death records, police records, health records, and for a convenience sample of 56, we conducted personal interviews with key informants.  The interviews took an average of 90 minutes, and seemed to be very healing for the survivors.  The interviews were attempted at least 6 weeks after the death to allow family members to grieve and mourn without disruption.

Follow-back studies are used to characterize those who complete suicide by identifying risk and protective factors associated with the death.  Existing suicide research is strongest in the identification of risk factors, particularly mental and substance abuse disorders, less developed in non-mental health-related factors, in categorizing protective factors, and only beginning to analyze the unique contributions of individual risk and protective factors as they contribute to populations

The final report can be accessed from this link: Alaska Suicide Follow-back Study

A case-control study of hospital visits 12 months preceding suicide in N. Alaska, Suicide Study Alaska Medicine

This study looked at suicide cases in northern Alaska and matched them with controls to see how medical services were used by each group during the 12 months preceding the suicide death.  The cases were 22 times more likely to be seen for an alcohol related events and over 3 times more likely to be seen for an injury.

 

Project Safe Neighborhoods

Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in America by networking existing local programs that target gun crime and providing these programs with additional tools necessary to be successful. The Bush Administration committed over $1 billion to this effort in its first 4 years. This funding is being used to hire new federal and state prosecutors, support investigators, provide training, distribute gun lock safety kits, deter juvenile gun crime, and develop and promote community outreach efforts as well as to support other gun violence reduction strategies. The Alaska Injury Prevention Center developed a Gun Card for gun owners to document their ownership information.  This card will help get stolen guns back in the hands of their owners.