EMERGENCY SERVICES
NSW Emergency Services can be used in a situation of Squalor and Hoarding when:
- An urgency to address the issue has surfaced (physical danger to community or occupant),
- The person living within the squalid environment is unwilling to or unable to engage due to mental illness, cognitive defect or psychosis (and all other avenues of engagement have been exhausted)
- The person living within the squalid environment is too physically or mentally unwell to remain within the community.
When accessing emergency services for situations of Squalor and Hoarding, it is important to remember that whilst these situations are confronting and often difficult to deal with, they have been this way for quite some time (squalor/hoarding does not occur over night) and thus there is often no urgency to the situation and often no need to engage with emergency services.
NSW Ambulance
The NSW Ambulance service should only be utilised when it is believed that someone is so physically or mentally unwell that they require immediate assessment, treatment and hospitalisation. The ambulance service can be accessed by calling 000 (in the case of an emergency); you will be required to provide information regarding the condition and location of the person needing assistance.
NSW Fire Brigade
The NSW Fire Brigade do not have a tremendous amount of power when dealing with situations of Squalor and Hoarding. They usually liaise with the council to conduct fire inspections on premises suspected of being a risk. The NSW Fire brigade can be accessed to calling 000 (in the case of emergency) or by contacting 9265 2999 for general enquiries.
NSW Police
The police can be used in situations when the safety of either the occupant or the community is being placed at risk. They can be accessed by either calling your local police station, calling the police assistance line 131 444 or in the case of an emergency calling 000. Please note, in NSW, the police (under the Mental Health Act), have the ability to schedule (force to go to hospital) someone that they believe to be mentally unwell to the point of being a risk to themselves or to the community.
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