"I'm dealing with more juvenile fire-setters here," he said. "Per capita, the numbers are really high. Four or five so far this year."

Wheaton was one of more than 30 fire chiefs from across the NWT who took part in a Level II fire investigation course in Yellowknife recently. The first advanced arson-training course held in the NWT -- The Canadian Fire Investigation School workshop -- was held during the NWT Fire Chief's Association meeting in June. The program is a extension of basic training done by the fire marshal's office.

Based on what Wheaton saw at this most recent exercise, he said that preparation of this kind would help fire chiefs and firefighters alike understand fire investigations -- "so they won't disturb evidence."

Wheaton hopes to get a Level I training program up and running in the next couple of months, and plans to offer the Level II section sometime later in the fall.

Mike Lowing, secretary-treasurer of the NWT Fire Chiefs Association, said that the training helped firefighters interpret burn patterns, as well as investigate and determine where the fire began.

"The intent was to teach about deliberately set fires," said Lowing.

The training involved four burns set in an abandoned house in the capital, as well as a fifth burn outside the house in the shed. The firefighters also took part in dousing several cars that were set on fire near the fire hall.

Lowing said that it's rare that such training can be done as it's difficult to get properties to set fire for training purposes.