Hoarding can cause a serious safety concern for both residents and first responders.
WOODSTOCK - The Woodstock Fire Department is reminding citizens of the Friendly City about the harmful effects of hoarding.
Hoarding happens when a resident develops strong emotional attachments to objects in their home, and they feel like they simply can't part with any of this. Public Information Coordinator with the Woodstock Fire Department, Lisa Woods, explains all that clutter can create serious risk. "Hoarding is a fire hazard, and often the occupants die in fires in these homes because they have blocked their exits or they trip on things on their way out and then get injured and it makes it very difficult for us to find them. We want obviously for our community to be safe and we want our firefighters to be safe so if there is an issue bring it to us and we will get to work on it."
"Incidents of hoarding are coming to light because of the television show and we are seeing it more often and we are realizing that it is becoming an issue in our community, and it is definitely an issue for firefighters," says Woods. "We have found it in a few instances. I wouldn't say it is out of control by any means but we definitely are seeing it more and more often."
Woods wants to help those that suffer from this unusual disorder. "What's common in these situations is that everything in these homes is precious to them and we have to work with them. We have to work with those individuals and help them understand why it is important for them to clean that up and to make a safe path for their exits. We don't want to get to a point where we have to tell people you are unable to go into your own home but we are able to do that if necessary."
The Woodstock Fire Department is hoping that anyone who knows a hoarder will give them a call at 519-537-3412 so they can deal with it before it becomes a big problem
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