Hoarding Awareness Week 2021: The role of the Fire & Rescue Service when working with people who hoard

Hoarding behaviour can increase the risk of fire in a property. When a professional is working with a person who hoards, the local Fire & Rescue service can provide invaluable support and equipment.

London Fire Brigade provide some useful information about hoarding and fire risk on their website, including a hoarding disorder video, some fire safety suggestions and advice for family members and carers.

The information can be accessed here:

Advice for carers and support workers- Hoarders and fire safety | London Fire Brigade (london-fire.gov.uk)

In addition to this, our staff work across two Fire & Rescue services; Humberside and North Yorkshire.

Humberside

Humberside Fire & Rescue Service offer ‘Safe and Well’ visits that focus on fire safety and other structural and health issues such as a loose bannister or reduced mobility. A community safety advocate will visit the person who hoards and advise on fire safety as well as signpost people to specialist services for smoking cessation, social isolation, falls prevention and winter warmth.

Here is a video by Humberside Fire & Rescue:

Safe and Well - making every contact count - YouTube

If you need to make a referral for Safe and Well in the Humberside area, you can do so online by clicking here.

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service also provides ‘Safe and Well’ visits that focus on fire safety. They may advise on how to prevent or reduce fires, give information about keeping safe at night, help a person to create an escape plan, complete smoking alarm checks and much more. They also advise and signpost to the specialist services as mentioned above.

You can book a safe and well visit in North Yorkshire by clicking here

To find out more about the role of the Fire Services when working with people who hoard, the Safeguarding Team are hosting a “Lunch and Learn” session on the 28^th June at 13:00.

At the event, Rosie O’Connell, Safeguarding Practitioner at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, and Hannah Oakley, Safeguarding Officer at North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, will talk about the role of the fire service, when working with people who hoard.

The event will also be an opportunity for professionals to ask Rosie or Hannah questions about Safeguarding. You can join via this link.