Chamber of Hoarders Online Blog

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="223"] New York City Hoarder Fire Hoarding fire Staten Island STATEN ISLAND , N.Y. -- City firefighters rescued 30 small dogs from a blaze that ignited in a two-story home -- apparently owned by a "hoarder" -- in the Clifton section of the borough. The call about a fire at 3 Bowen Street came in at 9:29 p.m.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300"] Picture from MetroDailynews.com FRAMINGHAM — For the second time in 16 months, authorities are investigating hoarding at a Winter Street home. On Tuesday, the fire department went to 124 Winter St. for a medical call around 1:15 p.m. after the 83-year-old man who lived in the home was found on the groun

After spending the last two days reviewing pages and pages of tragic events, which lead to a Line of Duty Death, searching for the effects of clutter, hoarding, or large amounts of debris. A huge point of learning kept coming up.  It wasn't the clutter that killed the firefighter; it was the clutter that kept the firefighter from being able to esca

A London hoarder had a lucky escape when her ceiling collapsed under the weight of 20 tonnes of rubbish.Wendy Towers, 61, of Forest Gate, east London, was feared dead and buried beneath the rubble by neighbours when they contacted police on Tuesday after seeing that her living room ceiling had caved in.   Luckily for Ms Towers she was staying

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Hoarder Fire NSW Fire Department One question that keeps coming up, time and time again, when dealing with hoarder homes, is how do we keep the piles of belongings stable and prevent them from falling on us or the occupant.  This is a challenging question with a multiple different answers, dependent on

Welcome back into the chamber of hoarders.  After some time away we are back and well into summer preparing emergency responders to face the challenges of compulsive hoarding disorder environments.  This week we are going to look back at a training topic that we have visited before, with a new twist.  It is vitally important to allow firefighters t

Some amazing stories from Fire Departments around the World have been released in the last week.  Here are some links to some challenging repsonses inside hoarding conditions.   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-22629605 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328960/Coroner-criticises-TV-shows-making-light-hoarding-pensioner-tra

On Saturday May 11,2013 Jumpseat Training brought a new level of training to the West Virginia Public Safety Expo in Charleston WV.  Expanding their wildly popular classroom session, Hoarder Home's Piles of Hazards for Firefighters, to include a hands on session.  Evolution's within simulated Hoarding conditions added a new level of learning and pe

One complication that firefighters face inside a home that has hoarding conditions is the need for extensive overhaul.  Stacks of compressed belongings can lead to an extended overhaul and often will reveal hidden pockets of fire.  This news video shows an example of the complications of overhauling a hoarder fire as they were called back three tim

Story From 23ABCnews Bakersfield  BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - A messy home made for difficult conditions during an early-morning fire in Northwest Bakersfield. The fire started at approximately 2:00 a.m. Tuesday in the attic of a small house on Gulf Street. Firefighters with the Kern County Fire Department said they had a hard time locating the home's ad

[caption id="attachment_114" align="alignright" width="300"] Hoarder Fire Photo Courtesy of Keven Smith During the past two years I have spent much time and energy studying all aspects of emergency responses inside hoarding conditions.  There is one key point that consistently comes up, interacting with the occupants.  Hoarding or “Compulsive Hoard

If you arrive on scene of a structure fire, would you flow water through an open window [caption id="attachment_388" align="alignright" width="275"] Courtesy of Oxford Pa Fire Department before making an interior push?  Transitional attack or flowing water through an opening in the exterior of a building, which is on fire, has been an often-debated

By Assistant Fire Chief Sam Terry [caption id="attachment_387" align="alignright" width="198"] Pictures Courtesy of Oxford Fire Department April 30, 2013 ***WITH AUDIO*** Box 2104 At 0643 hours, the Union Fire Company No. 1 and the Cochranville Fire Company (27) was alerted for a reported house on fire in the 200 block of Old Limestone Road in the

Today is a sad day for the fire service as we mourn the loss of Firefighter Gene Kirchner.  Gene was a member of the Riesterstown Volunteer Fire Department who responded to 19 Hanover Road on April 24, 2013.  Firefighter Kirchner was conducting a search for confirmed occupants trapped when a crew member discovered him with his PASS alarm

CTV London Published Monday, April 29, 2013 6:09PM EDT  The London Fire Department is making their concerns about hoarding, and how it affects the safety of fire crews and other emergency workers, public. There are hundreds of hoarders in London and Insp. James Hind says “For the people who live like this, this is normal. This is their life. Everyt

As first Responders we understand the dangers associated with responding to many types of emergencies.  From auto accidents on busy interstates to working house fires with potential hazardous materials we train on these types of events and how to protect ourselves from dangers associated with them. One danger that continues to be overlooked is the

Listen to this bone chilling audio of a firefighter mayday while battling a three alarm fire in Hoarded conditions.  Once the mayday was sounded the interior crews transmitted the announcement of Hoarder Fire .  Sending prayers out to the firefighter who was removed in critical conditions. Links to News Coverage: Firehouse WBAL 

Station and units respond to XYZ Street for the structure fire with confirmed people trapped.  This could possibly be the most intense statement ever heard over your dispatch channel.  Immediately everyone goes into a rescue mode and everyone’s focus goes to locating the victim as saving lives,  our number one priority. Searching and locating victi

One of the more common themes told by firefighters when asked about fires inside hoarded environments is “we won’t go in” or “can we go inside”.  The answer to this question is complicated and cannot be answered with a yes or a no.  Many different variables come into play when making the decision to enter a burning building that is filled with belo

News story from a "Colliers Mansion" type conditions in northern New York State.  Prayers to the families and the first reponders.  Here is a Link for more on this tragic fire.