Hoarding Dangers

Sunday, 12 January 2014 at 06:45

Fire Department issues a call for help for those with the addiction

A few moderate to severe instances of hoarding in Woodstock has prompted the Fire Department to issue a call for help.

The department is asking residents who know a hoarder to assist them in getting help for their addiction.

Public Information Officer Lisa Woods says the main concern is residents and emergency personnel getting out of the home alive when a fire starts.

"In a fire the smoke is black. A lot of fires happen between midnight and 6am so we are concerned that they are going to get out safely. For the firefighters coming in , it's a matter of being able to get in the door for one and being able to find anybody and rescue anybody if there is somebody in there and it's a tougher fire to fight because there is a lot of fuel there."

Woods says a hoarder's house will burn longer because of all of the added material inside.

"It's difficult to find a source of a fire and completely get it out. You have to remove items in order to get to the base of the fire at times and it's difficult to get into rooms to be able to put the water on the fire, it takes a lot longer and it's a lot heavier work to be done and it gives a danger to the surrounding homes as well."

Woods says the Fire Department has partnered with several other emergency services and mental health organizations in the County to form a hoarding coalition to identify where the risks are.

"Now the individual has to be willing to accept that help for us to be able to talk to one another from an agency to an agency. Some are very cooperative and they work with us and they work with the other agencies to alleviate the hoarding issue, immediate threat to life is what we're concerned about and then there are those extreme cases where they're a bit resistant."

If you know someone who is a hoarder, the fire department is asking you seek help for them as it could put themselves and others at risk.