Do you have a person in your life who may be a hoarder? Hoarding is a condition where a person has persistent difficulty discarding personal possessions. The large amount of possessions fill the home and prevent the normal use of the space. Hoarding brings distress and emotional health concerns.
Hoarding increases the risk of fire by:
- Items close to the stove or other sources of ignition can cause a fire to start.
- Electrical wiring can be damaged by the weight of the piles or pests attracted to the piles may chew on the wires. Both can start fires.
- Open flames from smoking materials or candles have excess fuel to start a fire.
- Blocked exit pathways may hinder the escape from a home and increase the chances of dying.
Hoarding impacts firefighters by:
- Firefighters can’t move swiftly through a home filled with clutter.
- Firefighters can be trapped in a home when exits are blocked. They can also be injured by objects falling from the piles.
- The weight of the stored items along with water from fire suppression can lead to collapses.
- Clutter impedes search and rescue efforts of trapped occupants.
If you know of someone who is a hoarder please call the Gallup Fire Department Fire Prevention Office at 505-726-5448 and we can get access to help.
Original source found here.
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