Trapped in the Hoard
Without a doubt the number one concern of teaching firefighters about fires that occur in hoarding conditions is the potential of firefighters becoming trapped inside. While this potential is present on any type of fire, hoarding presents additional challenges. Understanding the potential for trouble should ensure all firefighters are visiting self rescue, lost orientation, and entanglement training monthly. Let’s face it, many of us will be lucky to review and practice these procedures yearly if at all. Let’s take a look at three processes you can review to prepare yourself.
Hoarding Concerns
As a persons home becomes full with belongings the amount of usable space is severely restricted. With this collection the potential for firefighters becoming lost inside increases. From day one most firefighters are taught orientation based on contact with a wall. Household clutter that extends well beyond arms length from the wall is common in the hoarding conditions. Firefighters who do not make adjustments for this danger can find themselves disoriented in a labyrinth of belongings, usually that have no secondary means of egress.
How can this happen? Does the firefighter not see the junk? Great questions, but there can be many factors that contribute to firefighters not seeing or suspecting clutter. One factor is where the home is located. If inside a municipal district there may be no visible clutter from the exterior. These hidden heavy content homes may not indicate clutter until entry. Secondly, the first room of entry my be free from clutter. In hoarding conditions not all rooms are completely packed full, there can be varying levels of stored items. If the room of entry is open the firefighter may assume the rest of the building is the same way.
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Location: Elyria Ohio Responding Agency: Elyria Fire Department Event Date: January 18, 2015 Event Type: Working Structure fire with Victim Trapped Location: Skylark Court Elyria Ohio Time:1600 Hours
Approximately 1600 hours on January 18th the Elyria Ohio fire department was alerted to a house fire. The initial dispatch was directed to an industrial area with a large warehouse structure and first arriving unit advised nothing showing. Updated dispatch information redirected the responding units to the correct address and also advised the responding chief of confirmed occupant trapped. Dispatch also passed along information from the caller that the occupant was a “Hoarder”and they could see visible flames.
Engine 3 arrived on scene with smoke showing throughout the structure with the heaviest amounts seen from division 2. Engine 3 chose and offensive posture with 1 3/4 sized line for primary search and fire control. Ladder 7 advised heaviest fire division 2 side c while chief 3 instructed them to ventilate vertically. Rescue 31 directed for occupant search and rescue. Supply line was established by engine 4. An unknown unit advised chief 3 of an awning that is compromised by fire with “a lot of trash underneath it”.
Upon hearing that report Chief 3 ordered an emergency manpower recall. Shortly thereafter Chief 3 was advised fire was extending to upper floors and roof. A transitional attack was used after the discovery of fire extension the roof area. Chief 3 then requests a MABAS box alarm assignment 1341 to respond and stand bye. Second due company advised they were unavailable due to another assignment. Chief 3 then advised the box would be sufficient without them and requested the fire prevention and training officer to the seen.
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Date: January 20th, 2015Time: 09:20 hoursCity: NortheastCounty: Washington DCAddress: 1100blk Oates Street NortheastType: 2nd Alarm Apartment Fire
Details:Companies were dispatched for the reported apartment fire. Engine Company 3 arrived with fire showing from a 2 story apartment building. Battalion Chief 2 arrived establishing command. Interior crews reported heavy fire in an apartment on the first floor with hoarding conditions. Engine Company 8 advanced a line to the floor above. Companies on the 2nd floor were met with heavy fire conditions and holes in the floor. Command requested the 2nd Alarm as interior crews were getting a knock on the fire.
The bulk of the fire was knocked down in 20 minutes with all searches coming up with negative results. Command held Engines 3, 8 and 16, Truck 15 and 2 approx 40 minutes into the incident.
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One type of call that Fire, EMS, and Law Enforcement often respond to is the[caption id="" align="alignright" width="229"] Ems response to Hoarding“check the well being” of a occupant that has not made contact with family in a certain amount of time. Being called to check the well being of a person inside hoarding conditions can turn into a major incident it the responders enter ill prepared. Let’s take a look inside the hoarding environment to offer some insight for first responders tasked with going inside them looking for people that have not been communicating with their friends, family, or others.Ensuring OccupancyBefore we go inside the hoarding environment, exposing ourselves to different dangers, we should take steps to determine if the person is still living there. Often, in hoarding conditions an occupant can fill their home until it is no longer inhabitable and just move out, that simple. If the home has become so full the occupant will often disconnect the utilities, whether their choice or the building inspectors choice, and move to a different location.If the call comes in to check on an occupant and you arrive to find a potential Heavy Content Environment we should take some steps to find out if the home is still occupied. Have dispatch forward contact information to on scene responders for questioning Question neighbors Inspect utility meters Perform a 380 degree size up Look for access points (often NOT the front or back door)Locating the VictimOnce the determination has been made that a person could be inside the hoarding it’s time[caption id="attachment_883" align="alignright" width="200"] Hoardingto go looking for them. Understanding that hoarding can take over a home and prohibit occupants from sleeping in bedrooms or sitting in living room can help lead you to their locations. If you understand this complication we may start searching for occupants in different locations.Example: Searching for an occupant after dark, we may start our search in the living room instead of the bedroom.The best way of making access to trapped occupants will be to find their primary entrance points. If the home has filled the space around “normal” access points, such as doorways, they will often enter through windows or other means. Finding these entrances will be the best place to start looking for a missing person.Using the only access points will lead you to the “goat paths” throughout the home. These pathways can lead directly to the occupant. Warning: using these pathways EMS providers should start a search pattern when looking for occupants and try to keep the belongings in place. Keeping the debris from falling can be a difficult task as the pathways can be so narrow.One way of making your travel through the pathways less destructive is to leave your bags outside the environment until the patient has been discovered. Without our bags across our shoulders it will reduce or profile and keep from knocking the stacks over. First responders should carry a small bag or the basic CPR mask just in case of impending need of CPR or rescue breathing. Keeping the bags outside the building will also reduce the need for decontaminating them as well.EMS providers should use a coordinated search pattern to find the victims, much like firefighters would. Collapsed belongings could easily hide patients. Utilizing a primary and secondary search can help offer the occupant a larger chance of survivalPrimary: Traveling the pathways looking for occupants quickly and efficiently. The primary search should be a quick and organized search. Secondary: Secondary searches should be a slower search where individual piles of collapsed belongings that seem out of place or different should be inspected for occupants. ReviewHoarding can present many challenges to first responders in all three divisions. Before entering a hoarded environment you should ensure the potential for occupancy and use an accurate size up to locate the victim. Finding people that are missing inside the massive amounts of belongings can turn a “routine” check the well being call into a technical rescue inside a Haz-Mat situation.Start preparing for the call you will receive, not might receive. Hoarding is found in everyone’s district and it is an area that we need to review. Use this quick article for some thought stirring discussion and review your department’s policies on entering private residence on check the well being calls.]]>
When firefighters enter a burning building many different factors come into play. One huge factor that can affect the outcome of the operation is the presence of increased amounts of belongings, caused by a person afflicted with compulsive hoarding disorder. As their collection of stuff accumulates the danger in hoarding firefighting increases.[caption id="attachment_882" align="alignright" width="180"] Firefighter Enter HoardingOver the past two years of reaching out to fire departments from around the world some common challenges kept coming up. Inability to hit the seat of the fire, shielding from the heat , and difficulties in escape were top of the list. This past weekend the chamber of hoarders had a unique opportunity to enter a “live fire” environment to experience these variables.With the assistance of the Frontier Fire Company in Wheatfield New York a hoarding environment was set up and multiple scenarios were run. The results were a confirmation of all the research collected. Each variable was looked at individually and together with great success. It truly served as a reminder that hoarding changes our operations and if we are unwilling to adjust our operation it may not be successful.Shielding from the HeatWith many safety measures in place the fire rotations started with a firefighter between the stacks of belongings with a thermal imager. What we learned was a confirmation and an amazing result. While the other instructors took a beating from the heat in front of and behind the stacks of stuff the inside firefighters documented floor temperatures of 125 degrees with thermal imagining, shielded from the heat.Documenting these temperatures was an unofficial, non- scientific example of the true dangers of the hoarding environment. No monitors, measuring equipment, or recording devices were in place, just a group of firefighters with thermal imaging cameras watching something amazing. The hoard shielded the firefighter from the heat. It restricted the heat and pushed it past and around. These results proved a multiple amount of points. Hoarding can give interior firefighters a false sense of environment Shielding can allow firefighters to push further inside without experiencing the normal heat levels Stacks of stuff can trap firefighters Victims can have more survivable thermal temperatures when insulated with hoarding.With the recent research on flow paths coming to light the need to adjust them for hoarding firefighting was revealed inside the burn room in New York this past weekend. It reconfirmed the dangers of the insulation provided by the interior conditions. This insulation can hide the hidden heat and dangers until it’s too late. Most firefighters advance into burning buildings using their senses to determine how far and deep they are to go. In hoarding conditions they may keep pushing unaware of the hidden dangers waiting for them. Dangers that could present themselves in the form of rollover, flashover, or backdraft, trapping the firefighters because they don’t have secondary means of egress.[caption id="attachment_883" align="alignright" width="120"] Hoarding Firefighting ConclusionConfirmation that the shielding is real was not a surprising result. This weekend just reconfirmed what we have been learning from survival stories from around the world. Hoarding conditions can act as an insulator keeping high temperatures away from the victim or firefighter in the middle. We need to educate firefighters to be aware that this shielding can lead to poor judgment to just how far we should push.Identify, adjust, and attack when Hoarding is discovered!!!!!!! FDIC Flow Path Video. ]]>
How much risk are you willing to take? While attending the 2013 Ohio Fire and EMS expo in Columbus Ohio last week it seemed clear that first responders don’t fully understand Hoarding Dangers and how they can affect safety. Having the opportunity to travel and meet the brave men and women who serve as first responders is a HUGE honor. In this past week’s travel is where this lack of understanding became crystal clear in these conversations.It’s like clockwork that when someone hears that I am studying responses in Hoarding Conditions they immediately start into a story of a response. These stories always involve the words “lucky” and/or “fortunately” something happened or it could have been bad. As an educator these words are like fingernails on a chalkboard.[caption id="" align="alignright" width="265"] Hoarding Dangers: Glassware Image from http://hoardingwoes.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/hoarding-the-glassware/I would like to share two conversations that came from Ohio. Sharing these conversations is not a judgmental or an effort to “bash” anyone, but rather an attempt for everyone to learn from their experience.Hoarding Danger in Piles:The most troubling story was, by far, the firefighter who described a fire where they had to crawl over piles and piles of belongings to fight the fire. They described hoarding at a level 3 and went on to explain that the interior firefighters had to crawl over multiple stacks of belongings to access the fire, which sounded rather small.The conversation described the difficulties of traversing the stacks and how “lucky” they were to make the fire room and have a successful firefight. With the hair standing up on the back of my neck I began to question them and after some time the “I never thought of that’s came”. Often we all don’t think of a certain danger until someone exposes us to it. Their response is common when dealing with hoarding conditions. Without being judgmental we should all be exposed to the danger possessed by the stacks of stuff.Let’s review some of the factors and why firefighters should not crawl over stacks of stuff and exactly how dangerous it is. Stability of the Piles What are the Stacks Comprised of (magazines, books, Glassware) Collapse Risk Entrapment dangers (wires, yarn, extension cords) Weight of the firefighter Need for rapid escape Height of Stacks (putting firefighter closer to the ceiling and hotter temps)Each of the above danger can place a firefighter in a life or death situation at a moment’s notice. Mix one with another and a recipe for disaster is on the horizon.Example: Firefighters making an interior push choose to crawl over a stack of glassware. The weight of each firefighter plus gear added to the instability of the stacks causes a collapse of the stack downward then adding a side collapse covering the firefighters with sharp glass. You can see the dangers in the above example. Not knowing what is in the piles of belongings should be the number one reason why we should NOT crawl over stacks of belongings. Adding the weight of a firefighter to an unstable situation can lead to a mayday. Do the occupants crawl over the stacks or walk around them?Occupants use the pathways to access the usable space inside the house and so should we. Using the “goat paths” for interior access is the safest way to gain interior access without collapsing piles of belongings on beneath the firefighters. Think about walking to the stage of a theater, would you crawl over the rows of seats or use the isle to access the stage.It was a Clean Hoarder House:Another hoarding story from this trip was a assistance call where they described a Clean Hoarder Environment. This mindset is troubling because of the hidden dangers that may not be seen because of the accumulation of belongings.[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240"] How clean can it be. Hoarding DangersWhile the environment may look “clean” from the view point of a responder, do we truly know what lies beneath the hoard. Without access to walls, rooms, and the inability to see the floor do we truly know what’s underneath the stacks of stuff. The answer is NO. Stacks of belongings in the home can hide dangers for first responders. Rodents, insects, mold, and animal excrement’s can all be dangerous to responders and all can be hiding beneath stacks of stuff that appear to be clean. Without the ability to clean and maintain a home, due to the hoarding, the occupant may never truly have the ability to clean, sanitize, or remove problem areas. This accumulation can be dangerous for them and us.If you find a hoarding condition that must be entered we MUST assume the worse situation possible and choose to wear our PPE properly. Assuming that the hoarding area is “clean” is an assumption that can lead to Bio Hazard exposure. Once discovered we should take the appropriate precautions and choose to wear ALL of our PPE to make sure we don’t care these dangers home to our families. Review:Emergencies in hoarding conditions should be identified, adjusted for, and then attacked with different approaches by all first responders. Crawling over debris and not choosing to wear proper PPE are just two dangers that could cause injury or death. Make the choice to avoid them both when, not if, you are called to enter the hording environment. ]]>
Since the days of the Collyer Brothers, in Manhattan, first responders have been dealing with the excessive accumulation of belongings caused by compulsive hoarding disorder. We have just “dealt” with the challenges and continued on our way to solve the problem. Today we are seeing an abundance of these types of emergencies. Many different theories exist on why we are seeing an increase in the number of compulsive hoarders, but without a doubt emergency responders are seeing an, almost, epidemic level of responses inside hoarding conditions.Compulsive Hoarding disorder is defined as: The accumulation of and failure to discard large amounts of belongings that have little or no value. This compulsive accumulation eventually takes over their home to where it cannot be used for its intended purpose.How does this disorder directly affect the first responders? As the accumulation of belongings start the dangers to the occupants and first responders big to pile up, just like the stacks of stuff. The challenging environment that follows offers challenges with entry, exit, and an increase in available fuel for a fire. Along with these challenges firs responders can be faced with multiple biological dangers caused from rodents, human, and animal waste. Each one of these dangers is major challenges for first responders.[caption id="attachment_158" align="alignright" width="180"] Photo Courtesy of Twin Cities Fire Wire.Who discover these environments? People that are afflicted with compulsive hoarding disorder are very reclusive and often do not allow people to enter their homes. Many of these folks feel “embarrassed” or “ashamed” as they are aware of how their disorder is seen by people. If no one is allowed to enter their home it is common for the first responders are often the first people to discover the conditions. They will keep to themselves until they have a medical emergency, fire, or experience a need to call 911. This call brings the local responders to the environment, often unprepared for what they find.What are the Cues and Clues that hoarding is Present?One of the most common questions asked: “Can you tell from the outside of a house that Hoarding conditions exist?” The answer is, YES. While it is not a 100% certainty there are some common ques and clues that can lead you to assume that the home is filled with belongings. Identifying these common clues will lead to a better informed decision making process and adjustments to keep responders safer.Why did you choose this topic?Many folks ask why Ryan chose this topic. Just like many fire departments that call for presentations on this topic my home department ran back to back fires in hoarder conditions. Much like most to Google I went and what was discovered was amazing, NOTHING. Keyword searching for Hoarder Fires, Hoarding Firefighting, Hoarding dangers to First Responders, and others resulted in large amounts of documentation of the Mental Health Aspects of this disorder, but no attention was being given to the first responders who go rushing in…How often are these emergencies happening?It seems like every day another story of a hoarding emergency is being reported, somewhere in the world.Here are some links from the Past week:Baldwin Fire CompanyWayland MassachusettsEvendale OhioThese are just three examples in the past number of weeks.How can the Chamber of Hoarders Learning Center Help?With training budgets shrinking faster than a sinking ship, we searched for an affordable alternative to offer our class to the fire-ems service. From these request the chamber of Hoarders Learning Center was born. It is a 24-7, 365, accessible, and affordable option for responders to sit through 4 plus hours of education. It can be viewed on mobile, desktop, tablet, or any device with internet access.Do you travel to present?Yes, Ryan Pennington has presented his program to over 600 first responders in 2013. If you are interested in hosting a program contact [email protected] Make sure to watch the presentation page for upcoming dates of presentations]]>
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="281"] Cluttered Fire Picture credit KHOU.comHARRIS COUNTY, Texas –- Firefighters said clutter inside a westside home hindered their efforts to put out an overnight blaze.The fire was reported on Paso Dobble Drive at Paso Del Sol Drive around 12:30 a.m. Friday, according to officials with the Community Volunteer Fire Department in Mission Bend.A couple inside the home made it out safely and drove to a nearby fire station to ask for help.Firefighters found fire inside the home’s kitchen and made a fast attack to get it under control. They said parts of the dining and living rooms were also damaged, however. Officials said they had trouble fighting the fire because clutter in the home was blocking the front door.The Harris County Fire Marshal is investigating what started the blazeRead more Here ]]>
[caption id="attachment_40" align="alignright" width="180"] Hoarder fire. Picture Courtesy of sdfirephotos.comAre you prepared to call a mayday, right now? One of the most often asked question from my students is how do you know when you should call a mayday. The answer always comes back to, anytime you can’t get yourself out or find yourself in need of assistance, PERIOD! There are many situations that require a firefighter calling the mayday and one that holds true is a firefighter who finds themselves inside the trenches of a Hoarder Home. Without knowing, an interior structural firefighter can find themselves with stacks of belongings that can extend up to ceiling level causing a huge problem in advancing hoses, searching for victims, and any other fire ground tasks.How far do you push into these conditions? At what point do you call a mayday?These are two questions that should be considered by the individual firefighter while using some common variables. How high are the stacks of Stuff Are we experiencing small collapse of belongingsHow high:Determining the level of belongings can alter an interior attack. Making this determination can be the challenge due to smoke conditions. Using the stream of your hose or an extended hand tool can give you an estimate of how high the stacks are. If you carry a 24-36 in haligan you could use it to sweep above your head to determine the height. If you choose this technique you will need to be mindful of the location of the other firefighters with you.Either choice of techniques should be used with caution as the resulting collapse could cover up unannounced victims, secondary means of egress, or uncover hidden pockets of fire. Most often the only part of the hoarder stacks that are burning are the top layer. By knocking over the stacks you could expose more fuel, maybe even more flammable fuels such as newspapers that were once insulated from the heat source.Collapsing Stuff:Whether it’s caused by your sweeping tool or just by itself falling debris should be considered when inside the hoarder environments. Often the pathways, or “goat paths” , that traverse the interior of the hoarding can be narrowed to a level that causes the advancing firefighter to knock stuff over, just by traveling through them. Hoarding Mess:These two variables should be considered if you find yourself inside the hoarder environment. Both can cause an added level of danger to an interior firefighter. Often, hoarding conditions can NOT be identified from the exterior of a building. This can expose an interior firefighter to the dangers once they have passed the point of no return (5 feet inside a structure).If you find yourself in this condition take these two variables into consideration when determining how far you want to push inside.If you are experiencing ceiling level stuff or collapsing debris it might not be a fight that you want to take on. Even worse, if these conditions cause you to become disoriented, entangled or low on air make sure that you are ready to call the mayday and activate your pass alarm. It is better to call and cancel the mayday, than to find yourself in a collapsed stack of stuff and running out of air.If you’re in a mess, use your pass and make sure that hoarding doesn’t trap you inside without a way to escape a rapidly progressing fire condition!If you would like to learn more about hoarder firefighting make sure to check out the Learning Center here on ChambeofHoarders.com. 4 + hours of content on Hoarder Firefighting ]]>
Without a doubt, the number one question asked is “How can I tell if the home is a Hoarder Home”. The answer: You will need to look for the Cues and Clues of Clutter. If you are driving your district, running medical emergencies, or driving home from work you should be on the lookout for the hoarded homes in your district. Knowing the conditions BEFORE a fire happens will make you better prepared when you arrive. How do you find a hoarder home? Let’s look and a new approach to identifying a clutter home in your district.Street Level View As we drive the streets in our districts we should be on the lookout for unique challenges. These include a hoarder home and the potential for a response. When driving past these homes you should be looking out for some typical cues: Hoarded front yards Large privacy fence covering back yard Cluttered front porches Blocked windows Overgrown shrubs, bushes or trees Multiple vehicles in yard that are fullThese cues and clues should trigger a need for further investigation. If you suspect one or more of the above you should begin to investigate a little deeper, but how?[caption id="attachment_543" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Aerial view of a Cluttered HouseOverhead ViewWithout an invitation or a need we cannot enter your property but the eye in the sky always knows. Taking to your computer and using tools such as Google earth can let you get a bird’s eye view of the property to confirm your suspicions. Find a point of interest, address, or something to give you a reference point and view the property from overhead. This perspective will allow you to view the backyard, side yard, and potentially the windows without physically walking the property. Read More about Pre-Fire Planning Here:http://chamberofhoarders.com/3-things-your-department-should-do-about-hoarding/ Read more about Non-Fire Dangers in Hoarder Homes Here:http://chamberofhoarders.com/hoarder-homes-more-dangers-than-fire/]]>
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="223"] New York City Hoarder FireHoarding fire Staten IslandSTATEN 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. It was under control by 9:59 p.m., said an FDNY spokeswoman."It looks like there was a Colliers' mansion condition in the house; that's what we call a hoarder's house," said an FDNY spokeswoman.Read Morehttp://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/08/fdny_rescues_30_dogs_during_a.html[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="270"] Hoarder FireFirefighters are battling fire at the home of a hoarder in Evendale. The fire broke out Friday around 1:30 pm at 3520 Glendale Milford Road. Crews from Evendale, Glendale and Springdale have been called to help fight the fire. Firefighters were forced to take up a defensive position when they could not get through the front door because of the hoarding. There are no reports of injuries.Read More at: http://www.local12.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/fire-at-hoarders-home-evendale-1471.shtml]]>
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300"] Picture from MetroDailynews.comFRAMINGHAM —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 ground outside, Deputy Fire Chief Anthony Pillarella said."Inside of the home there was unhealthy conditions," the deputy chief said.Pillarella would not describe the conditions in the home, only to say, "They were bad enough that we called the Board of Health and the police."Because the man was not home when the Board of Health arrived, they could not enter the home without his permission, the deputy chief said. The man was taken to MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham to be evaluated and treated.A Framingham police crime scene photographer, wearing booties over his normal shoes, took photos inside the home.Read more Information Here:http://chamberofhoarders.com/hoarder-homes-more-dangers-than-fire/http://chamberofhoarders.com/managing-the-mess-can-we-really-go-inside/Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1837074408/Framingham-investigates-hoarding-at-Winter-Street-home#ixzz2ccHL1Fdd]]>
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 to communicate their findings on each response; this is even truer when faced with massive amounts of clutter found inside hoarder homes. From pulling on scene to making a interior attack, each and every firefighter should be taught what to say, who to say it too, and how to say it when a hoarding environment is suspected. Example, “ interior to command we are experiencing Heavy Content”, “command received.” Often this is where this line of communication ends, not allowing incoming units or firefighters that didn’t receive this message aware of the potential for danger. It’s time for us to change how we process, receive, and announce situations. [caption id="attachment_388" align="alignright" width="275"] Courtesy of Oxford Pa Fire DepartmentFirefighter LevelBeing the eyes and ears of the responders is a role that each firefighter should be given. Constantly scanning, evaluating, and searching for potential dangers should be trained on until they become automatic. During this training is where we should introduce them to cues and clues that a hoarding situation is present.Here are a few: Blocked doors and Windows Cluttered yards or Porches Cars Full of BelongingsIf you encounter any of these situations a message should be transmitted to command. Announcing the presence of hoarding conditions will put everyone in a more defensive mindset and allow the commander to call for additional resources. Extra manpower, more apparatus, and needed rehab sector are all areas that need reinforced when dealing with hoarder conditions. If the IC doesn’t know they need them, why would they call for them? Make the call, even if you are wrong. If they are not needed they can be released and returned to service. Incident CommandersBeing in command of a fire when the announcement of heavy contents is made requires some direct actions. First action is to communicate the findings to the dispatch center to share the message with everyone responding and on scene. Second action is to call for more help. With hoarding conditions firefighters air consumption will be greater, thus lowering their work time and will need a longer rehab period because of the stresses placed on them while working in these overloaded spaces. Knowing this a commander should request additional units to respond to the scene. Third action should be a second rapid intervention team. If a firefighter is inside and experiences a Mayday, it will require a larger number of firefighters to access and remove them.A good rule of thumb for any commander is the rule of doubles. If you discover hoarding double the number of firefighters, RIT team members, and double the rehab time allowing your firefighters to adequately recover from the larger workload. The worst thing that you could do is place your firefighters into a stressful environment and not allow them time to recover before going back.ConclusionIf you see something, say something!If you hear something, Dispatch Something! If you allow your firefighters to make the announcement of a potential hoarding situation it will allow all commanders to use the rule of doubles and call for the help needed. Hoarding can place us all at a greater risk do to the compression of belongings that has taken years to accumulate. Make the adjustments if you are faced with these conditions and make sure we all go home!]]>
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-trapped-piles-rubbish-dies-blaze.html?ito=feeds-newsxml http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323959/Mummified-body-Chicana-author-New-Mexico-home-dead-year.html
]]>[caption id="attachment_114" align="alignright" width="300"] Hoarder Fire Photo Courtesy of Keven SmithDuring 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 Hoarding” is “the accumulation of and failure to discard a large number of objects that seem to be useless or of limited value, extensive clutter in living spaces that prevents the effective use of the space causing significant distress or impairment caused by hoarding” (Frost and Hartl..1996). The affects of someone having this disorder takes away the ability to make rational decisions, making process to distinguish between an item with no apparent value and one of great value (example: grocery store coupon vs. baby pictures). This compulsive behavior can cause problems with first responders when faced with a hoarding situation. Interaction can prove difficult first due to the unwillingness to leave and second the emotional trauma of strangers touching their “treasures”, understanding and adjusting for these situations is our job to figure out before we run this call. The first adjustment need to be the terminology that we use. Let us look at why we should change our terminology to include “Heavy Content” when describing a hoarded environment.Politically CorrectA very well respected friend of mine that is in a different career once looked me straight in the eye and said “you must be jaded because of all you have seen and dealt with”. After I digested that statement I realized that is exactly what happens. We are jaded by the countless number of tragic events that we deal with on a daily basis and it most often affects how we interact with someone who is encountering an emergency. The very first thing that happens to set the tone of the call is how we present our self; this includes body language and the terminology that we choose. “This is a trash house” or “pack rat conditions” are two terms that first responders use when the discovery of hoarding conditions are found. How would these terms be received if the occupant overheard their house full of treasures called “trash”? If someone called you a “pack rat” how would you feel? They are unable to see their surroundings in your perspective, but it is important for the brief time you spend on the call that you try to see it from theirs.It is good to remind ourselves of the characteristics of compulsive hoarding disorder. There is deep emotional attachment to belongings, with the inability to distinguish between trash and treasures. This compulsion can cause an overload to the occupant if they overheard these terms broadcasted over the radio or yelled out the window. “Hey chief, this in the interior crews, we have a “trash house”! this statement seems to be a popular description. All it would take would be one radio being around the occupants to have a potential for an emergency for them or you. There have been documented cases of occupants needing to be physically restrained from trying to re-enter a burning home to save their treasures. Another potential danger is the reaction of the occupant in a violent manner towards the first responders. Wouldn’t it make all of our shifts easier if we took away this easy negative and replaced it with such an easy fix. Being as compassionate as possible during all emergencies is the best practice scenario for all of us, this remains true when dealing with the occupants of a hoarded environment. Occupant safety is the biggest concern of any first responder and when the problem is a compulsive hoarder; words can be just as harmful as flames. Removing terms such as trash house and pack rat conditions will help provide a more neutral environment for the occupant while standardizing the terminology used by first responders.Heavy Content: A key termAnother key factor in dealing with hoarded conditions is the amount of belongings and the weight exerted on the structural supports of the building. Collecting a large amount of belongings can lead to an overloaded structure, even before the first ounce of water is applied. Using the term “heavy content” should remind all first responders of the overloading potential and collapse risks associated with dealing with a hoarded environment.A heavy content environment can offer many potential for a collapse, this is usually wither from interior debris falling to a complete collapse of the entire structure. When a building is over loaded with massive amounts of stuff it has the potential to injure or kill first responders. Using the heavy content terminology to identify these potential risks should put all responders at a heighten level of awareness to be looking for collapse. It should also evoke a thought process needed to identify what is being collected inside the building. Identifying items such as books, magazines, or car parts can help with the collapse risk assessment. Another factor that can be used is a hoarding level scale such as the Institute for Challenging Disorganization rating scale of 1-5. If a level 5 is determined, a No-Entry decision may be the best option.Conclusion:Emergency responders are dealing with compulsive hoarding disorder on a daily basis. There is a huge difference in terminology used worldwide used when describing hoarded conditions, but there is huge effort to change that. From “Colliers Mansion Syndrome” to “Pack Rat” conditions it seems like your terminology is based on a geographic locations. It’s time that we standardized terminology to allow us all to understand the conditions, even if we are not familiar with the term. Heavy Content should be used worldwide to allow a standard, politically correct term to describe these conditions. It offers cues to us all, even if you have never heard of the term before. Being mindful of the compulsion and trying to remain respectful to it will allow us to have an improved public perception and protect ourselves from the potential for confrontation with the occupants.]]>