Dr Lauren Ducat1, Mr Chris Murray3, Dr Nichola Tyler2
1Firesetting Intervention and Risk Evaluation Service, Australia, 2Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science (Swinburne University), Australia, 3Victoria Police, Australia
Biography:
Dr Lauren Ducat (Clinical and Forensic Psychologist) is the Director of the Firesetting Intervention and Risk Evaluation Service (FIRES). She has worked as a clinical and operational leader in public and private forensic mental health services for over a decade, with expertise in forensic mental health assessment, risk assessment and intervention, particularly with individuals presenting with problem behaviours (e.g., stalking, firesetting, violence, family violence and sexual offending). She has specific expertise in the assessment and treatment of deliberate firesetting. She has published several academic papers in this area, in addition to regularly being invited to provide training to organisations.
Abstract:
Wildfires are a growing public health concern, causing significant harm to human health, community infrastructures, and ecosystems every year. Each year a significant number of bush and wildfires are recorded as being deliberately started or suspicious to deliberate intent. However, preventing the ignition of bushfires from human causes is a critical but often overlooked part of bushfire prevention in Australia. The Royal Commission into the Victorian Black Saturday fires in 2009 concluded that there was an urgent need to develop a better understanding of bushfire arson and recommended a systematic programme of research aimed at refining prevention and detection strategies to curb deliberate ignitions. Nearly 15 years on, there remains very limited evidence regarding effective prevention strategies for bushfire arson internationally.
This presentation will describe a novel multi-agency partnership between forensic mental health services and police that aimed to build capacity for agencies working with individuals who set fires to improve prevention, identification, and early intervention. The consultation service was piloted during the 2025–26 fire season, integrating specialist forensic mental health expertise into frontline policing, enabling early identification, risk formulation, and targeted intervention for high-risk persons of interest (POIs). This presentation will demonstrate that embedded preventative approaches, incorporating police and mental health responses, can lead to diversion from an escalation in firesetting risk and improved continuity of care for high-risk individuals. Recommendations for future implementation will be made.