Dr. Richard Gasaway talks with Ryan Pennington about his research and findings on fire department responses to hoarder homes. Ryan has written a number of articles on Firehouse.com about this topic.
Pennington discusses the various levels and degrees of hoarding and how they can impact firefighter safety and fireground tactics. He stresses the need for a solid size-up and shares key points that all firefighters can find to indentify the "heavy contents" fire scenario.
The two also discuss recent fire incidents in these these homes as well as how first responders need to work with the occupants to assure their mental well-being when the debris is being removed from the structure.
About the Author
Richard Gasaway
Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, CSP is an authority on human factors, situational awareness and the high-risk decision-making processes that are used in high-stress, high-consequence work environments. He served 33 years as a firefighter, EMT-paramedic, company officer, training officer, fire chief and emergency incident commander. Gasaway's doctoral research included the study of cognitive neuroscience to understand how human factors flaw situational awareness and affect high-risk decision-making. He authored six books, and his contributions on situational awareness and decision-making are featured and referenced in more than 400 publications. Gasaway's training programs have been delivered to more than 88,000 students.