FDNY Safety Bulletin 7 - Clutter Summary

INTRODUCTION

  • Everyday life increasingly features apartments, homes, and exterior spaces filled with more material than typically expected.
  • Possible reasons for this accumulation include natural possession collection, intentional collecting, or hoarding behavior.
  • Recognizing and addressing these clutter situations is essential because it impacts operational efficiency.
  • Clearly communicating the state of clutter to operational members aids in effective operational response.

OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

  • Clutter conditions can adversely affect numerous operational facets:

2.1 Access/Egress

  • Public hallways and stairways
  • Interior passageways inside the occupancy
  • Delays in gaining entry to or exiting the space

2.1.1 Member Safety

  • Challenges to maintaining unit cohesiveness
  • Potential injuries may arise from surrounding animals, vermin, and pests.
  • Risk of entrapment from falling materials, leading to possible injuries or even fatalities.
  • Potential structural failures could occur due to excessive weight or compromised integrity of materials.
  • Increased fire risks include concerns for rapid fire spread due to additional fire load created by accumulated materials.
  • Members might need to walk, climb, or crawl to navigate over or around items, increasing risks of falls or injuries.
  • Emergency evacuations may be impeded due to clutter, affecting egress processes.
  • Hazardous material storage in cluttered environments (e.g., gasoline, LPG, chlorine) raises significant safety concerns.
  • Ventilation may be delayed due to obstructed airflow caused by clutter.

2.1.2 Search Operations

  • Ventilation for search operations may be hindered.
  • Delayed primary and/or secondary searches, possibly leading to longer incident response times.
  • Impeded access from the exterior, complicating emergency response capabilities.
  • Blocked doors obstructing passage for rescue or other operational needs.

2.1.3 Suppression Operations

  • Maneuverability of charged hoselines becomes difficult in cluttered spaces.
  • Fire load may exceed the capacity of hoselines causing complications in fire suppression efforts.
  • Decreased ability of water to penetrate to the seat of the fire due to obstructed paths and clutter.

2.1.4 EMS Considerations

  • Difficulties accessing patients with essential medical equipment or transportation resources.
  • Limited space available for providing necessary patient care.
  • Patient removal may become challenging, leading to potential delays in emergency medical response.
  • Note: EMS members must adhere to protocols described in EMS OGP 102-05 regarding referrals to Adult Protective Services.

2.2 Communication and Reporting

  • Members are tasked with communicating clutter conditions if they may influence operational activities.
  • Upon discovery, members should report the degree of clutter: light, medium, or heavy, along with the specific impacts on operations.
  • Additionally, members must relay the steps being taken to mitigate the clutter issue and any resources required to the Incident Commander (IC).
  • The IC may need to adjust operational strategy or request extra resources based on this feedback.

2.3 Defining Clutter Conditions

  • The term “Clutter” refers to an accumulation of materials that could influence operational outcomes.
  • Severity classification of clutter includes:
    • Light Clutter
    • Medium Clutter
    • Heavy Clutter
  • It's noted that the term “Collyer’s Mansion” is officially deprecated from use.

FIRE INCIDENT REPORT

  • Any fire incident report should document instances where clutter conditions have notably impacted operational activities.

DEFINITIONS

Severity Classification of Clutter

  • Light Clutter

    • Impacts Access/Egress: Little or no effect.
    • Member Safety: Minimal concern for entrapment or structural issues. Unit cohesiveness remains intact. Smoke detectors operational. Utilities function properly.
    • Search Operations: Primary and secondary searches not affected.
    • Suppression: Minimal delays in line placement; fuel load is manageable for handlines.
    • EMS: Adequate space available for patient care.

  • Medium Clutter

    • Impacts Access/Egress: Entrances and interior pathways partially blocked, hampering movement.
    • Member Safety: Increased concern regarding entrapment, structural concerns, and risk of unusual fire spread.
    • Search Operations: Primary searches are possible yet delayed; secondary searches delayed.
    • Suppression: Maneuvering hoselines becomes difficult; fuel load may approach the limits of handline capacity.
    • EMS: Space for patient care is still present, but removal is affected.

  • Heavy Clutter

    • Impacts Access/Egress: Severe impact with complete blockage; substantial delay in advancing or relieving units.
    • Member Safety: Real risk of entanglement or entrapment due to avalanche of materials. High likelihood of unusual fire spread.
    • Search Operations: Primary and secondary searches severely delayed, possibly requiring extraordinary efforts.
    • Suppression: Hoseline maneuverability may be impossible; fuel load exceeds handline capacity. Alternative strategies might be necessary.
    • EMS: Severely impeded patient care and removal due to debris accumulation.

REFERENCE PHOTOS

  • Kitchen Clutter Levels: Light, Medium, Heavy

  • Living Room Clutter Levels: Light, Medium, Heavy

  • Bedroom Clutter Levels: Light, Medium, Heavy

  • The reference images will visually demonstrate differences in clutter severity for common living areas.

  • Final Note: All members must follow operational guidelines as expressed in the FDNY Safety Bulletin 7, effective as of April 14, 2022, and continuously improve awareness regarding clutter conditions.