Hoarding support

Hoarding safety tips

Fires in homes where hoarding takes place are more hazardous to the occupant, their neighbours and firefighters.

Your local fire and rescue service will offer free safety visits for people with hoarded homes.

Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
 

Concerned about someone with hoarding behaviours? Help them with this advice:

• Plan and practise the escape from their home in the event of a fire and encourage them to keep this route clear of possessions
   
• In the event of a fire, advise them that they must not attempt to put it out themselves. They should get out, stay out and call 999 without stopping on their way out to collect possessions
   
• Encourage them to make it a priority to keep their cooking area clear
   
• They must not place items on, or close to, heaters, lamps or other electrical equipment
   
• If they smoke, make sure they use a proper ashtray that won’t burn and that it is placed on a flat, stable surface so that it can’t tip over easily
   
• Newspapers and mail stored in bulk are highly combustible and will cause a fire to spread rapidly. Encourage them to sort
  mail and newspapers on the day they receive them and recycle them on a regular basis
   
• Check whether possessions are stored on stable surfaces and that items aren’t stacked to a height that they become unstable – they could fall over blocking their escape
   
• Make sure they have working smoke alarms and that they test them every week
   
• If they use candles/tea lights ensure that they use heat resistant holders that hold them firmly and that they are
  placed on a flat, stable, heat resistant surface. They must keep candles/tea lights away from anything that can catch fire, and never leave them unattended.