Collyer's Mansion Calls

[IzzyEng4 427]

I though this would be a good topic to bring up here. How many of us here (Firefighters, EMTs and Police officers / Troopers and dispatchers) have received a call or responded to Collyer's Mansion Call??? (http://www.ocfoundation.org/1005/m140a_001.htm)

After reading the Regional post of the Queens 3-alarm fire at 43-25 43rd Street (7/3/06), I though this topic should be addressed.

One of my first calls I had responded was a Collyer's Mansion call. The gentleman that live in his well kept house, from the outside appearance, was filled with several newspapers, books, magazines (he had every Playboy and Sports Illustrated ever printed in their original plastic coverings) and countless other "personal belongings" to call them. At the time I was not interior certified since I was a probie, but from the outside looking in it was a mess. Pathways, confusing to the guys inside hampered the attack. Eventually the weigh in the attic from the homeowner's belongings, heavy fire and water made the ceiling collapsed. The attic went over a carport where the members of my department were exiting the fire attack was made this way since the fire was coming towards the port and was the best attack before there was fire in the attic). The collapse pinned down two firefighters but were thankfully removed unhurt.

About four years later, another Collyer's Mansion call type call occurred just a few blocks away from my firehouse. As the second due engine company, my self and my partner were ordered to be the primary search unit. Entering the house of the infamous "westside cat lady", we found the staircase (we looked where the sheet rocked bottom of the stair case was to find were the stairs were since there was so much "junk" on the stairs, and proceeded up to the fire floor. As the attack team was putting water on the fire, me and my partner (him leading) check a bedroom. Next thing I know, my partners head crashed through a window and nearly fell!!! Naturally I grabbed on to his pack and coat and yanked him back. But the funny thing was we were bouncing up and down. When the floor commander came in after heating the crash, his light shined down to let us off what ever we crawled upon. When the smoke cleared, we realized that the contents were so great in this one room; we had actually climbed up onto a bed and never knew it, which was window height!

Situations like this can occur in every town. My buddy was lucky that when the crash occurred (the search was a little too fast by both of us) he stopped and I was right there. The companies had a hard time operating at this call. I know we can never due a preplan in a home but we should take note if there is a "cat lady" or "pack rat" home around for our safety.

Let's here other experiences and let figure talk about staying safe in these situations. I learned from these two situations how to be cautious.

Edited July 4, 2006 by IzzyEng4

[JeffSlots 1]

It's dangerous no doubt about it... these pack rats cause a huge problem for the fire service beacuse many of these houses look normal from the outside but are a death trap on the inside. It is incredibly easy to have collapses of all the piled up crap and block your exits or snag you up. Without sounding like a b****, I wont go in to those houses unless there are people inside beacuse it just isnt worth it. In any fire class you ever take they tell you Life Safety comes first, first your safety then your brother firefighters then the civilians. To risk your life over someones collection of national geographics, new york times', playboys, and whatever other stuf they've collected since 1920 is stupid.

[Cos Cob 215 7]

Izzy,

It's great that you brought this up. Most people would think in a town like Greenwich, CT we don't see Collyer's Mansion conditions, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I personally have seen at least 7 or 8 of these in my 10+ years and have heard of 20 or 30 more in town here. Everyone who has the possiblity of going into a situation like this should read the article with the link on the incident post from Queens yesterday, it is an easy read and quite informative, thank you to the person that posted it.

I can say first hand that these conditions really do exist. I have seen the rats and cats and fleas and in one case a coyote. No phone, electric, water, or sewer. In one case the water was still on and a pipe burst filling the basement to the windows. I have seen the hoarding. One guy had hundreds of cases (not boxes, cases) of laundry detergent. Another guy had arranged to have his 1/2 acre lot cleared of debris, but decided not to clear his house because he hadn't finished his yard after 22 40 yard dumpsters had been taken away.

While this is a sad problem for many people, the stories continue to amaze me. Anyone interested in further discusing can certainly message me.

Christian Andersen

1st LT

Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol, Inc.

[csf248 0]

Last year I went to one of these calls in valhalla, it was amazing the stuff this guy had in his house. i think he had every newspaper ever printed in the history of newspapers!

its very dangerous for a couple of reasons

potential for collapse/ entrapment on every pile

nerly imposible to navigate, let alone, find a victim

its also very hard to move through the hallways, not only for rescue, but also stretching hoses, as you need to worry about knocking over a huge pile, and blocking ur escape route.

not to mention, you dont know exactly whats being stored, wether or not it could be explosive,

[Geppetto 31]

I've been to several of these through the years. Does anybody know why they're called Collier's mansions though? I've never heard of any historical significance.

[27east 19]

The term comes from the Collyer brothers and their housekeeping habits. I can't remember the rest of the story.

[Geppetto 31]

Googled it - Interesting reading.

http://www.answers.com/topic/collyer-brothers

[IzzyEng4 427]

Googled it - Interesting reading.

http://www.answers.com/topic/collyer-brothers

←

This was the link posted on the Queens Incident report posted the other day.

http://www.ocfoundation.org/1005/m140a_001.htm

[res6cue 67]

Oh man, I've been to quite a few of these deathtraps over the years. The worst one I've ever seen was actually in one of the most affluent sections of our district. Wound up being a malfunctioning furnace with no visible fire. The house looked fairly unassuming from the front, but my god what a horror show inside. Not too many things get to me or turn my stomach, but this place did. I've been in some bad places and situations, seen some real nasty sh!t, but never on such a scale as this place. Urine and feces on the floor, rotting trash all over the place with the kitchen literally looking like a garbage dump, no room to walk among all the crap all over the place. It was actually beyond description it was that bad. We had to pack up just to get within 10 feet of the door to the place, and we had to decon all our gear and equipment afterwards for fear of...well, who the hell knows what, but I'm sure that place was a breeding ground for diseases and plagues not yet discovered!

The other similar problem we run into is in the Hasidic village of New Square. Every other single family dwelling seems to have some sort of commercial enterprise being run out of it. The danger of disorientation and entrapment is extremely prevalent and likely. No joke, we've had guys lose their bearings checking automatic alarms in broad daylight, it's that bad sometimes.

[ex-commish 490]

It's dangerous no doubt about it... these pack rats cause a huge problem for the fire service beacuse many of these houses look normal from the outside but are a death trap on the inside. It is incredibly easy to have collapses of all the piled up crap and block your exits or snag you up. Without sounding like a b****, I wont go in to those houses unless there are people inside beacuse it just isnt worth it. In any fire class you ever take they tell you Life Safety comes first, first your safety then your brother firefighters then the civilians. To risk your life over someones collection of national geographics, new york times', playboys, and whatever other stuf they've collected since 1920 is stupid.

←

Was in a fire once in a house that fits this description...during salvage I came accross bundles of newspapers with headlines highlighting Nixon and Watergate. The papers were stacked in date order in boxes.

It is a problem and more so dangerous to us.

[NWP291 0]

I once responded to a fire call where the owner of the building had previously been a carpenter. He must have primarilly worked on kitchens. Amongst the items we were forced to overhaul through was a stack of about 20 sink cut-out counters. It literally was a history of kitchen installations. The top of the pile were made of chip board; as we dug deeper came ones made of particle board; then several of plywood and finally a few made up of sections of solid pine. Of course the pile was squirreled away in a corner making the trip to the street a royal pain

[x242Steve 1]

City of Rye, 16 Mayfield Street, 6/15/04

http://emtbravo.net/index.php?showtopic=1213

http://www.emtbravo.com/News/June04/061504.html

[RichC 0]

Interestingly this topic is in the New York Times today in the Metro section. There is discussion on the origin of the Collyer's name. What is obvious is that this occurs more ofter than you would think. Also it clearly makes no matter what type of area, affluent or not so. Another point is that the address of these Collyers conditions are often known beforehand.

Without trampling on the rights of the homeowner, I am wondering what kind of preventative action could taken. The action would have to be forced because you are dealing with a homeowner with an identified problem.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

I've had a few of them myself also. Most recent while for a ems call not fire was a female that kept pretty much everything. Mail, magazine's, newspapers and the empty boxes of wine after she would finish them. How the neighbors didn't get any of the odors that were inside that place into their areas I don't know.