This study examined perceptions of international apparel brands in China. The key findings were:
1) Respondents perceived European clothing brands as most stylish, followed by Japanese and American brands.
2) Respondents considered information from friends and retail stores most reliable, rather than advertising or the internet.
3) Demographic factors like age, gender, education, and income affected brand perceptions to some degree. Regional differences also manifested for some variables.
The Journal of Global Business Management Volume 10 Number 1.docx
1. The Journal of Global Business Management Volume 10 *
Number 1 * April 2014 issue 99
International Brand Management and Strategy:
Apparel Market in China
Dr. Yi-Ju Chen, Florida International University, USA
Dr. Po-Chung Chen, Chaoyang University of Technology,
Taiwan
ABSTRACT
This study examined the perceptions of the country of origin
and the methods of communicating
branding information of international apparel brands. The
findings of the study indicated that the
respondents perceive European clothing brands as more stylish
than brands from other nations. The
results also indicated that information about apparel brands
provided by friends and information
provided by retail store operators was considered more reliable
than information provided by advertising
2. or the Internet. Lastly, it suggested that there were regional
differences in the perceptions of consumers
of foreign apparel brands, but the regional differences
manifested themselves in only a few of the
variables examined by the study.
Keywords: Brand management, Communication methods,
Country of origin
INTRODUCTION
In the general approach to global branding in the apparel
industry, China represents a unique market
environment due to the relatively recent development of
branding practices in this nation (Brouthers &
Xu, 2002; Delong, Bao, Wu, Chao, & Li, 2004). China is a
socialist market economy that is experiencing
economic growth at a rate substantially higher than the majority
of other nations. The nation has a
population of 1.3 billion, which represents the largest single
market of consumers in the world. The
market is highly segmented on the basis of demographic factors
such as age, geographic factors such as
urban or rural location and psychographic factors such as
perceptions of the importance of status (Gibb &
3. Li, 2003). The size of the market, coupled with the
segmentation, present a range of difficulties for firms
attempting to develop a branding strategy tailored to the
Chinese environment.
Over the past decade, consumers in China have become
increasingly conscious of brands, with
brand recognition functioning as an antecedent to the purchase
decision (Wang, 2005). At the same time,
the number of international and domestic brands in the
marketplace is rapidly increasing as firms attempt
to capture a share of this giant consumer market. As a result,
there is a high level of cognitive dissonance
in the marketplace caused by the proliferation of brands that
have a similar message, which causes
confusion for the consumer. The Chinese marketplace is
characterized by a comparatively smaller
number of brands than in other developing nations (Baroncelli,
Fink, & Javorcik, 2005). In addition, the
majority of the branding activity in the nation is conducted by
foreign firms, although there has been a
recent increase in branding efforts by domestic firms. The
Chinese marketplace has also been receptive to
various types of branding approaches that have been effective in
other nations, including affiliate and co-
4. branding. There is also some evidence that branding in China is
highly visual and related to cultural
symbols to a greater degree than in many other nations. As a
result, a successful branding effort requires a
symbolic linkage with an attribute that can be accomplished
with a marketing communication that is
The Journal of Global Business Management Volume 10 *
Number 1 * April 2014 issue100
highly visual and symbolic. In general, the specific branding
approaches that have been most successful
in China associate the product with an intangible attribute
associated with success or leadership (Ambler
& Witzel, 2003).
There is also some evidence in the Chinese market of a
difference in branding approaches between
domestic and multinational firms (Zhou, Zhang, & Vertinsky,
2002; Delong, Bao, Wu, Chao, & Li, 2004).
The domestic firms often attempt to rapidly establish brand
awareness through the use of heavy
advertising or other promotional activities for brief periods of
time with the intent of increasing brand
5. recognition among the consumer. In addition, local firms
frequently change their brand strategies and
sometimes abruptly terminate their branding efforts for
individual products. In contrast, multinational
firms that engage in branding in China tend to follow the
traditional branding approach of using the same
strategy over the long term and a steady pace of communication
within the marketplace to establish brand
awareness. At the same time, there is evidence that there is
distrust of marketing communications in the
Chinese marketplace that are identifiable as advertising or
promotions intended to stimulate the purchase
decision (Zhou, Zhang, & Vertinsky, 2002; Gao & Zhang,
2011). As a result, viral forms of marketing
and branding have often been more effective in the Chinese
marketplace; ones that do not direct
communications toward an advertising approach.
The general theoretical models discussed thus far contain a
presumption that the information
regarding the attributes associated with the brand will be
communicated to the consumer in order to build
brand knowledge over time. Madhavaram, Badrinarayanan and
McDonald (2005) provide a qualitative
overview of the relationship between branding practice and
6. integrated marketing communication (IMC).
The IMC is essential for a firm to convey information to the
consumer regarding the attributes of the
brand. In practice, however, there is often little coordination
between branding strategies and the IMC,
with the majority of communications to the market aimed at
stimulating purchasing rather than
developing the level of consumer knowledge about the brand.
This has led to marketing approaches in
which branding and promotion are regarded as separate
activities, with no effective means available to
measure the effectiveness of branding. The authors further
contend that increasing the level of brand
equity requires the full integration of branding concepts into all
of a firm’s marketing communications,
with establishing and reinforcing the brand identity of the firm
being the most important aspect of the
IMC. While many of the authors’ arguments are compelling,
there is no empirical evidence to fully
support the premise and the model IMC offered by
Madhavaram, Badrinarayanan and McDonald. In
general, however, the concept of consistent use of the IMC to
support branding conforms to general
branding theory; which contends that the level of brand
7. knowledge of the consumer is cumulative and
increases in proportion to their level of exposure to information
about the brand (Keller, 2003; 2012;
Shimp, 2010).
Country of origin theories in global branding (De Mooij, 2005;
Steenkamp, Batra, & Alden, 2003)
suggests that the country where a product originates, or where
the headquarters of a firm is located, can
create certain inferences in global consumers about the
attributes that are inherently associated with the
product. Han (1989) evaluated the role of country image in
consumer evaluations. Two models were
developed: 1) the Halo Model; 2) the Summary Construct
Model. The Halo Model hypothesized that
country image plays as a halo in product evaluation. However,
the Summary Construct Model
hypothesized that country image serves as a summary construct.
These mean when consumers are not
familiar with country products, “halo effect” of country image
may show on the perception unfamiliar
products. In contrast, when consumers are familiar with country
products, country image may become a
construct, which summarizes consumers’ beliefs about the
product attributes (Han, 1989, p.222).
8. The Journal of Global Business Management Volume 10 *
Number 1 * April 2014 issue 101
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of
Chinese consumers towards
international apparel brands in order to identify the branding
strategies that are most effective in this
market. The study also examined the country of origin
information and the methods of communications
of brand information that may influence the branding models
multinational firms may use in launching
apparel brands in the Chinese market.
METHODLOGY
Instrumentation
The study used a survey questionnaire developed for the
purposes of this study. The instrument was
carefully evaluated and reviewed by two experts — one
professor from the Psychology Department, and
another from the Business Department. The instrument was built
9. up in line with the review of literatures
that focused on the customer preferences with international
apparel brands and methods of
communications of brand information, and country of origin
information that may influence the branding
models.
Sampling
The sampling strategy for this study involved the use of a
convenience sampling of individuals
leaving retail apparel shopping outlets in mainland China,
which was analogous to the mall intercept
sampling strategy used in consumer studies in Western nations.
Local university students were trained by
the researcher to conduct the survey in four malls at various
hours to collect the data. The research
questions are as follows:
Does the country of origin of foreign apparel brands influence
the perceptions of consumers in the
Chinese market?
Do the methods of communications of brand information
influence the perception of the brand
among Chinese consumers?
10. H1o: The country of origin of an international apparel brand
does not influence the perceptions of
Chinese consumers of the brand.
H1a: The country of origin of an international apparel brand
influences the perception of Chinese
consumers of the brand.
Some findings (De Mooij, 2005; Steenkamp, Batra, & Alden,
2003) suggest that the country where
a product originates, or where the headquarters of a firm is
located, can create certain inferences in global
consumers about the attributes that are inherently associated
with the product. Jaworski and Fosher (2003)
noted that the strategies used in the international branding of a
product are based on whether the country
of origin has a positive or negative image in the target nation.
H2o: Chinese consumers place equal trust in viral marketing,
formal advertising or other types of direct
marketing communications as sources of brand information.
H2a: Chinese consumers place greater trust in viral marketing
sources of brand information than formal
advertising or other types of direct marketing communications.
The specific research conducted by Erdem (1998) involved a
validation of the model through the
11. use of panel data, which is an inherently subjective method of
gathering data on branding. The findings of
his study indicated that the latent brand value operates to
convey information about all products
associated with a brand, with the brand image and knowledge
transferring to the other products. His study,
The Journal of Global Business Management Volume 10 *
Number 1 * April 2014 issue102
however, also determined that informal channels of
communication in the market have a powerful impact
on consumer brand knowledge and can offset the formal
communications of a firm through its marketing
and branding efforts.
H3o: The demographic factors of age, gender, education,
income, length of living in the cities and
residential location do not affect the perceptions of foreign
apparel brands among consumers in
China.
H3a: The demographic factors of age, gender, education,
income, length of living in the cities and
residential location do affect the perceptions of foreign apparel
12. brands among consumers in China.
Other researchers (Crocker & Tay, 2004) indicated that the
Chinese market is highly fragmented in
terms of language, customs and income due to disparities in
economic development among regions.
These authors also suggest that there is a very low amount of
relevant research regarding the behaviors
and perceptions of Chinese consumers, which creates substantial
difficulties for firms planning branding
campaigns as a part of their overall marketing strategy in the
nation. That means more sophisticated
foreign brands have a great deal of appeal to Chinese consumers
that are educated and have a general
understanding of the global market.
FINDINGS
Country of Origin
The central tendency information for this data suggests that the
respondents perceive European
clothing brands as more stylish than brands from other nations,
followed by Japanese and American
clothing brands. The skewness and kurtosis for the European
brands indicates a relatively narrow and
13. peaked distribution around the median, which is compared to a
more normal distribution for Japanese and
American brands. In addition, the respondents were neutral in
their opinion of whether American apparel
brands were more stylish than the brands from other nations.
The median and the mode were substantially
lower for the American brands than for the European or
Japanese brands. Table 1 contains the median,
mean, mode, skewness and kurtosis for the country of origin of
apparel brands.
Table 1: Mean, Median, Mode, Skew and Kurtosis of Country of
Origin
Mean Median Mode Skew. Kur.
European clothing brands are more stylish than clothing brands
from other nations 3.97 4.00 4 -1.38 2.47
American clothing brands are more stylish than clothing brands
from other nations 3.09 3.00 2 .10 -1.35
Japanese clothing brands are more stylish than clothing brands
from other nations 3.39 4.00 4 -.51 -1.07
Methods of Communication
The central tendency of the data with respect to methods of
communication for product information
relied on by Chinese apparel consumers suggests that friends
are viewed as providing the most reliable
14. information, followed by the Internet and retail stores. The
reliance on friends as a source of brand
information suggests that some type of viral marketing occurs in
the Chinese market. The skewness and
kurtosis for the data regarding sources of information suggests a
relatively normal distribution, although
the data for friends as a source of information is somewhat
peaked. The data further suggests that the
respondents did not prefer to wear the same clothing brands as
their friends, which is an anomalous
finding due to the high degree of reliance that the respondents
placed on friends as a source of
information about apparel brands. In addition, the respondents
did not believe that there was an excessive
amount of information about apparel brands that made it
difficult to select among the brands. The
The Journal of Global Business Management Volume 10 *
Number 1 * April 2014 issue 103
respondents indicated that they do not gather as much
information as possible before making a purchase
decision. The median and mode for this variable was low at 2.00
and 2 respectively, with a relatively
15. small amount of skewness and kurtosis. Table 2 contains the
mean, median, mode, skewness and kurtosis
for the variables associated with the method of communication
of brand information.
Table 2: Mean, Median, Mode, Skew and Kurtosis of Methods
of Communication
Mean Median Mode Skew. Kur.
Most of my friends wear foreign clothing 3.11 3.00 4 -.26 -1.28
Advertising provides reliable information about clothing brands
3.20 4.00 4 -.54 -1.38
Retail stores provide reliable information about clothing brands
3.45 4.00 4 -1.06 -.52
Friends provide reliable information about the differences in
clothing brands 3.74 4.00 4 -1.23 1.47
The Internet provides reliable information about the differences
in clothing brands 3.46 4.00 4 -.85 -.40
I gather as much information as possible before I make a
purchase 2.62 2.00 2 .74 -1.01
I prefer to wear the same brands of clothes as most of my
friends 2.36 2.00 2 .293 -.235
There is so much information about clothing brands that it is
difficult to make a selection 2.74 3.00 3 .47 .05
Demographic Variables
The median age for the respondents fell between 26 and 39
years, with this age group representing
16. 48.5% of the sample. The respondents were 58.4% male. The
data indicated that there was a relatively
even distribution of educational levels among the sample, with
between 21% and 27% in each of the four
major educational categories (the categories were Under High
School, High School, College, and
University). Only the percentage of respondents with graduate
degrees fell outside this general pattern,
with this group representing only 4.1% of the respondents. The
largest income group among the
respondents was in the moderate range of 2001 to 4500 RMB,
which represented 48.2% of the
respondents. In addition, 46.2% of the respondents had lived in
the cities where the survey was conducted
for more than 10 years.
However, if the demographic factor - locations (Shanghai and
Guangzhou) - were viewed
separately. There were some interesting differential in between.
The median age for the respondents in
Shanghai fell between 40 to 55 years (52.5%). The respondents
were 59.2% male. The data also indicated
that the educational levels among the sample in Shanghai were a
relatively even distribution, with
between 19.4% and 28.1% in each of the four major educational
17. categories (the categories were Under
High School, High School, College, and University). Only the
percentage of respondents with graduate
degrees fell outside this general pattern, with this group
representing only 6.1% of the respondents. The
largest income group was in the moderate range of 2001 to 4500
RMB, which represented 49.5% of the
respondents. Besides, 48.5% of the respondents had lived in
Shanghai was conducted for more than 10
years.
On the other hand, in Guangzhou, the largest age group for the
respondents dropped between 26 to
39 years (57.7%). The respondents were 57.7% male. The
educational levels among the Guangzhou
sample was 35.2% in Under High School, 30.7% in High
School, 16.3% in College, and 15.8% in
University. Respondents with graduate degrees represented only
2.0% of the respondents. The largest
income group was in 2001 to 4500 RMB, which represented
similarly with Shanghai (46.9% of the
respondents). Further, 43.9% of the respondents had lived in
Guangzhou was conducted for more than 10
years. Table 3 presents the summary of frequencies and
percentages for the demographic variables of the
18. study.
The Journal of Global Business Management Volume 10 *
Number 1 * April 2014 issue104
Table 3: Frequencies and Percentages of the Demographic
Variables
Frequency Both cities % Frequency Shanghai % Frequency
Guangzhou %
Age
18-25 35 8.9 16 8.2 19 9.7
26-39 190 48.5 77 39.3 113 57.7
40-55 167 42.6 103 52.5 64 32.6
56 or older 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gender
Male 229 58.4 116 59.2 113 57.7
Female 163 41.6 80 40.8 83 42.3
Education
Under High School 107 27.3 38 19.4 69 35.2
High School 100 25.5 40 20.4 60 30.7
College 83 21.2 51 26.0 32 16.3
University 86 21.9 55 28.1 31 15.8
Graduate 16 4.1 12 6.1 4 2.0
Income
Low (RMB 2000 and below) 79 20.2 16 8.2 63 32.2
Moderate (RMB 2001-4500) 189 48.2 97 49.5 92 46.9
High (RMB 4501 and higher) 124 31.6 83 42.3 41 20.9
19. Length Living in City
Less than 5 years 85 21.7 41 20.9 44 22.4
5-10 years 126 32.1 60 30.6 66 33.7
More than 10 years 181 46.2 95 48.5 86 43.9
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
The findings of the study supported that the country of origin
has an effect on the preferences of
Chinese consumers for foreign apparel brands, with European
and Japanese brands perceived as more
stylish than clothing brands from the United States. European
brands were perceived as more stylish
among men, although women also considered the brands to be
very stylish. The college group generally
has more favorable opinions of European and Japanese brands
as being more stylish.
The findings of the study also supported the conclusion that
viral marketing methods are an
important method of disseminating information about clothing
brands in the Chinese market. The
respondents relied heavily on their friends as sources of
information about brands, although they did not
necessarily prefer to wear the same brands of clothing as their
friends. This suggests that word-of-mouth
20. methods of communicating with the market are perceived as
more reliable than other types of more
formal communication methods. The findings also support the
conclusion that promotions or other types
of communications that occur in retail stores are very effective
in this particular market. The respondents
viewed communications about apparel brands from retail stores
as more reliable than most other forms of
communications. Both the word-of-mouth and retail store type
of communications involve some degree
of direct relationship with another individual, which
distinguishes these types of communications from
advertising or the use of the Internet as a means of
disseminating product information.
Another conclusion that is supported by the findings is that the
consumers of apparel in China do
not engage in lengthy searches for information about retail
apparel and that they do not believe that there
The Journal of Global Business Management Volume 10 *
Number 1 * April 2014 issue 105
is an over-abundance of information in the market about
clothing. Consumers in this market apparently
21. do not consider clothing a major purchase and therefore do not
engage in a lengthy or complex search for
information to assist them in choosing a clothing brand. As a
result, they are most responsive to
immediate influences such as information provided by retail
stores at the point of sale. In addition, they
appear to recall the information provided by personal
relationships more readily than information
provided by advertising sources.
The implication of the findings is that the consumer of retail
clothing should be approached with an
integrated marketing communications approach that involves
multiple methods of communication that are
cumulative over time. Because the consumer does not engage in
an extensive search for information
about apparel brands prior to a purchase, they depend heavily
on referent knowledge that they already
have about the attributes associated with the brand. As a result,
the consumer’s knowledge base about the
attributes of a particular brand should be gradually developed
over time, with a similar message provided
by all sources of communication (Madhavaram, Badrinarayanan,
& McDonald, 2005) This situation
suggests that foreign apparel brands should adopted an
22. integrated marketing communication approach
that conveys a consistent message regarding the attributes
associated with the brand to the consumer.
Another implication of the study is that there may be significant
regional differences in China
regarding the perception of foreign apparel brands. This
suggests that the marketing approach for brands
may need to vary in different regions in China, depending on
the perceptions of the local population. This
may be a particularly important when it is necessary for a brand
to compensate for a negative country of
origin effect, which appears to be an important variable in at
least the two cities examined in this study.
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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further
reproduction prohibited without
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92. www.FireEngineering.com FIRE ENGINEERING June 2015 |
67
1
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B Y B R I A N M U T Z A B A U G H
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hoarder dwellings to which
we might respond. Equally
93. important, we must look
at the amplified problems
that can exist at structure
fires involving hoarders and
examine ways to address
these problems early in the
incident.
Hoarding is generally
considered an excessive
accumulation of items kept
for future use. Although
sometimes a controlled
habit, it can also spiral into
an overwhelming urge to
justify keeping every item
encountered, regardless of
worth or usefulness. Hoard-
ers will keep anything from
94. inanimate objects such as
dolls, containers, newspapers, and cloth-
ing to common household trash. Many
times, food is also collected based on
either the rationale that it never goes bad
or “I might eat that one day.” Often, trash
and open food containers attract insects
and rodents, which breed diseases to
which the occupants are exposed.
Hoarders may also keep animals they
perceive as strays and rationalize this be-
havior as rescuing or saving the animals.
Although the hoarder may have rescued
an animal in some cases, this may
eventually lead to the hoarder “rescuing”
multiple animals that may end up being
neglected. In many cases, animal waste
will collect inside the residence because
95. the property owners cannot access areas
that need to be cleaned or are simply
oblivious to the mess. This is unsanitary
not only for the residents but also for us
as responders. As we come in contact
with the property and its residents, we
are exposed to whatever hazards are
associated with their living conditions.
Hoarding usually leads to unsanitary
living conditions since every available
space in a home becomes a storage
area. Often, hoarding is linked to people
who are suffering from different types of
disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive
disorder or severe depression. Other
times, it can only be explained as a way
of living. How it can affect emergency
responders is something definitely worth
96. investigating further. We not only have
to worry about operating in and around
such structures, but we need to consider
the emotional and psychological impact
on the homeowner, the responders, fam-
ily members, and even pets. Hoarders
generally become very upset when their
items are moved or damaged. Although
they may admit to having a problem that
impacts their daily lives, they are often
unwilling to seek help or let go. Even
when a fire or natural disaster damages
a hoarder’s possessions, that individual
may still have serious issues when part-
ing with them because of an emotional
attachment. In the hoarders’ minds, they
can easily come up with a reason they
should keep any item, even if it has been
97. ruined.
Described below is a response to a
structure fire at a hoarder’s residence
and its overall impact on mitigating the
incident. Think of the “what ifs,” since
this incident could have had a very
different ending except for the favorable
conditions. We must all
learn from the experiences
of others.
Fortunately, in this
incident, no lives were lost
and there were no on-scene
emergencies because of the
favorable conditions, the
well-trained and observant
suppression personnel,
and a strong command
98. presence. Awareness of the
hoarding situation early
in the incident allowed
responders to develop an
effective strategy that kept
firefighter safety at the
forefront while working to
save property and stabilize
the incident.
Hoarder Home Fire
On Monday, August 4, 2014, at ap-
proximately 1030 hours, units from Nash
and Halifax counties in North Carolina
were dispatched to a reported working
residential structure fire on South White
Street in Whitakers. Although a service
station attendant across the street on
the opposite corner made the initial call,
99. members of the Whitakers Volunteer Fire
Department (located on the back side of
the same block) had been investigating
the origin of smoke in the area.
Nash County Stations 10 (Whitakers),
9 (Battleboro), 18 (Salem), and Halifax
County Station 3 (Enfield) were dis-
patched on the initial alarm. Whitakers
and Battleboro have combination de-
partments with two part-time employees
working during the weekdays. Salem
(1) Street view of the A side of the dwelling. The low-hanging
branches and
overgrown vegetation prevented the first-arriving unit from
conducting a
windshield size-up, which emphasizes the importance of
completing a 360° size-
up every time, at every incident. In the foreground are two 1¾-
inch hoselines
(one attack, one backup) and the yellow electric cord that
powered the positive-
pressure ventilation fan. (Photos by Bob Bartosz.)
1506FE_67 67 5/27/15 9:26 AM
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101. and Enfield run all-volunteer fire departments. Whitakers
Engine 10 arrived on scene and reported a working fire in a
single-story residential structure and requested a supply line
from the closest hydrant as personnel deployed a 1¾-inch
attack line. Whitakers Truck 10 (a pumper/tanker) estab-
lished a five-inch supply line from a hydrant, and Battleboro
(2) A view along the D side shows several vehicles and a utility
trailer
blocking the driveway. A guard dog chained to the rear bumper
of the
trailer forced firefighters to advance a hoseline and move
equipment
through the row of bushes to the right. (3) A closer view of the
D/C corner
where personnel made the transitional attack into the fire room.
Waist-
high piles of debris in the carport area stopped the crew in an
attempt
to make the initial push into the dwelling. (4) At the C/D
corner, an
overwhelming amount of debris blocked the window and the
door. These
conditions could have prevented the occupants from escaping
and could
have hampered any rescue effort or emergency egress of
firefighters.
2
3
102. 4
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Engine 91 deployed a second 1¾-inch
backup line from Engine 10 to the
Division A side entrance point. As chief
(Whitakers Unit 10), I provided the initial
radio report and conditions, reporting
heavy, turbulent, grayish-brown smoke
from Division C and moderate, fast-mov-
104. ing, grayish-brown smoke exiting the
Division A gable vents. I established
incident command and assigned safety
and accountability officers, established
a medical group using Nash County
emergency medical units, and requested
an electrical troubleshooter from the
local utility. Enfield Ladder 3 arrived
and was staged for deployment if the
fire progressed to a defensive operation.
Because of numerous past law enforce-
ment responses to the residence (for
complaints concerning yard clutter, dogs
barking, and reported drug activity), the
on-scene local police chief had the res-
idents’ contact information. I requested
that the police chief make contact; he
was able to confirm with the occupants
105. by phone that no one else was supposed
to be inside the structure. The residents
were informed of the situation and asked
to return to the scene.
I noted during the 360° size-up that
the entire Division A, C, and D exteriors
were cluttered with numerous items,
including passenger vehicles, machin-
ery, trailers, equipment, and general
debris. Fire was also found pushing out
the Division C window and door into
the carport area. To further complicate
matters, the carport area was stacked
waist-high with various types of equip-
ment, machinery, and appliances block-
ing access/egress from this side. Sever-
al dogs were also found chained up in
various locations around the residence.
106. This initially posed a safety concern
since some of the dogs appeared to dis-
play a guarding posture by barking and
growling at responding personnel. After
personnel spoke with the neighbors, the
dogs were determined not to be a threat
and were safely moved away from the
structure. Even though several dogs
outside of the residence were saved,
three dogs inside perished. These ani-
mals were recovered and turned over to
the property owner at the conclusion of
the incident. This proved emotionally
traumatic for the occupants, who were
obviously attached to all the animals at
the residence.
The fire attack group initially reported
that the A side door could not be fully
107. opened because of large amounts of de-
bris and clutter inside the residence. The
fire attack group made a transitional at-
tack at the Division C/D corner, allowing
personnel to effectively extinguish the
bulk of the fire and stop extension into
the attic area. Additional personnel had
positioned a positive-pressure ventilation
fan at the Division A entrance point to
support the transition to an interior fire
attack. As smoke conditions improved, I
was able to look through several exterior
windows and noted large piles of debris
throughout the structure. Suppression
personnel reassembled at the Division A
entrance and employed a positive-pres-
sure attack to complete extinguishment,
conduct a search, and begin overhaul.
108. As smoke conditions lifted, personnel
discerned a visible pathway leading from
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Hoarder Dwelling Response
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the front door through piles
of various items to the rear