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.

Gamache said a hoarder can be categorized as a person who acquires and doesn’t get rid of a large number of possessions that have limited value. In addition, items are stored in unlikely places, she said. Often, areas are so cluttered and disorganized that it prevents the space from being used the way it was designed, such as bedroom where a person can’t sleep on the bed or a bathroom where a tub is used as storage space.

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, pilled-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.

Since hoarders make up only a fraction of the population, many firefighters may not expect to see such households when called out to an incident. In fact, they may not even realize the dangers until they move further through the residence and find an exit is blocked or encounter tripping hazards from items strewn throughout the house — all of which becomes life threatening with the addition of fire and smoke.

“All of sudden you can be trapped because there is so much stuff around you,” she said.

When it comes to animal hoarding, firefighters may get hurt because they lose focus on the task and become concerned with saving animals.

“It’s not the main purpose for the firefighters but you can see how it would become a concern to save or contain them,” she said. “Another issue is the bacteria that would exist because of those animals, many of which defecate in the home.”

Mapping hoarders’ homes can help the fire department be prepared if there is a fire incident at the home. If the fire department does smoke-alarm installations programs, a firefighter may become aware of a hoarding situation. Gamache said it is important chiefs record the incident and, if possible, join or assign a senior officer to a community hoarding taskforce. Most cities have taskforces established already, which are staffed by city building inspectors, animal control officers, first responders, police and medical teams.

“Chiefs should work with other community members and meet with health and building departments,” she said. “The resources are there to work in partnership with others to help prevent such incidents.”