AUGUSTA -- Three years ago, Janet Richards asked a group of juvenile fire-safety experts what they needed to help reduce the number of arsons caused by children.

The overwhelming response was that spotty local efforts were not enough; there needed to be a state-level process to expand prevention programs.

"Here we are today with a gubernatorial appointed board, which is just incredible," Richards said Monday during the first official meeting of the Maine Juvenile Fire Safety Collaborative committee. "It solidifies what the folks around this table have been doing for 20 years."

The 14-member group is tasked with developing and implementing juvenile fire safety programs across the state, increasing the number of departments reporting juvenile-related fires and strengthening existing collaboratives. The collaborative's mission is to reduce juvenile-set fires through education, assessment and intervention.

Established by Gov. John Baldacci's executive order, the group includes representatives from law enforcement, fire services, education and social and mental health services. Richards, who is chairwoman of the new panel, is a member of the Governor's Children's Cabinet.

The diverse representation is essential in successfully diagnosing and treating juveniles who are prone to setting fires, said Jerry DiMillo, director of the Maine Juvenile Fire Safety Program, which has established or laid the groundwork for 16 collaborative sites across the state.

"The resources need to work together," DiMillo said. "That's what the collaborative is all about."

There have been more than 2,000 fires started by juveniles in Maine since 2000, State Fire Marshal John Dean said in a release. Those fires have accounted for 11 deaths, 94 injuries and more than $37 million in damage.

"There are many excellent programs in Maine to counsel children who set fires, and one of the new committee's goals will be to replicate those successful programs statewide," Dean said.

Many of the committee representatives, including DiMillo, have spent decades working to implement programs to prevent juvenile-caused arsons. Though Monday marked the first official meeting of the appointed committee, most of the folks have been meeting for three years, Richards said.

"We haven't slowed down," she said.

Committee members spent much of Monday's session updating efforts to establish new collaborations and discussing how to introduce education programs into schools.

The group's regional coordinators are still working to establish contacts with educators, social services and mental- health workers in nearly every county.

"It's going to save a lot of dollars, for one thing. But it's also going to save a lot of lives," DiMillo said.

Funding to coordinate collaboratives is through a Federal Emergency Management Agency Grant, which is supposed to expire later this year. DiMillo said he has applied for another grant that would keep him and the regional coordinators with the committee for another year.

But even if the new grant is denied committee members are confident the program will continue. Unlike past local efforts, which have had little durability, the ongoing statewide effort has already built sustaining momentum, said Gary Simard, a regional coordinator for the Maine Juvenile Fire Safety Program.

"The gloom is not as gloomy as it has been in the past," Simard said.

Craig Crosby -- 623-3811, ext. 433

ccrosby@centralmaine.com