NFPA: Hoarding Poses Danger to Firefighters

摘要

While hoarding can be a crippling psychological disease, it also poses extreme dangers to firefighters who may enter an inflamed structure only to find exits blocked or collapsed ceilings from the sheer volume of goods stored in unlikely places, said Sharon Gamache, program director for the NFPA's high-risk outreach programs. Hoarders collect myriad items. Often, these include newspapers, magazines, clothes, food containers and animals, Gamache said. So many combustibles make the fire burn hotter and faster. In addition, piled-high containers sometimes may impede the firefighter from getting in or out or reduce the chance a resident can escape. It also may be more difficult to find the source of the fire, because it may be located beneath piles of paper or other items, she said.