Investigators probe if firefighter staffing contributed to Fall River fire devastation

As state and local authorities probe Sunday's deadly fire at a Fall River assisted living facility, a firefighter’s union is already claiming a shortage of firefighters may have played a role in its devastation. Another problem, the facility didn’t conduct fire drills, according to a resident and an employee.

Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said in a statement Tuesday that a “full investigation” is underway to determine the cause of the fire at Gabriel House, and whether staffing levels, response times or building safety played a role in the blaze.

The state immediately launched an investigation into the fire, Massachusetts' deadliest in more than four decades. Authorities say nine people died and at least 30 others were injured, including five firefighters and two police officers.

State investigators say that it appears the fire started accidentally. Jake Wark, spokesperson for the state's Department of Fire Services, said results of the investigation into the cause of the fire are not expected this week.

A day after the fire, the labor union representing Fall River’s fire department blasted the city for what it says is inadequate staffing. Rather than have 40 firefighters on duty — four on-duty firefighters for each of the department's 10 engine and ladder trucks — there were only 32 firefighters working, according to the union. The four-firefighter standard is set by the the National Fire Protection Association, a national nonprofit.

"Had they been staffed properly up to national standards, there would've been eight more firefighters affecting rescues here,” said Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters at a Monday press conference. “Lives would've been saved if the Fall River Fire Department was adequately staffed.”

Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon acknowledged Tuesday afternoon that his department could have used more firefighters to rescue the 70 residents of Gabriel House. But he stopped short of saying higher staffing levels would’ve prevented any deaths.

“If you gave me eight more firefighters on that scene, we're throwing more ladders. We're affecting more rescues, more efficiently. That's a fact,” he said at a press conference. “I don't know if lives could have been saved or if it would've changed the incident at all.” 

Bacon said he understands the union’s position and has pushed for more “manpower” in the past — but he downplayed criticism of staffing levels.

Fire radios crackled Sunday night with calls for more help. One firefighter at the scene can be heard saying, "I need bodies and ladders," to dispatch, according to Broadcastify, a service that records radio traffic.

To handle the five-alarm fire, several dozen Fall River off-duty firefighters arrived on scene as did firefighters from nearby towns.

Mayor Coogan, in a statement, said the city authorized a consulting group in February to study the fire department’s staffing levels and how it deploys firefighters and their equipment. That report is expected in a few months.

The statement acknowledged concerns raised by the firefighter’s union but urged for patience as the city investigates its response.

“We will allow this process to be guided by facts, not assumptions, and we ask the public to do the same,” Coogan said.

Another key issue facing investigators is whether Gabriel House routinely held fire drills and other emergency planning exercises. 

Buildings like Gabriel House are required under city code to conduct four fire drills a year on each floor — although the National Fire Protection Association recommends a higher bar for facilities that have vulnerable residents. The nonprofit sets national codes and standards for fire safety prevention, but municipalities can adjust them.

"We would actually require fire drills six times, with at least two of those conducted at night” each year, said Val Ziavras, an engineer with NFPA.

Ziavras said it's important for assisted living facilities and other buildings with vulnerable populations to hold regular fire drills so employees and residents know the plan including escape routes.

Yet resident Donna Murphy said she couldn’t remember a single fire drill.

“I've been there five years," she said. "We never had a fire drill."

A staffer at Gabriel House, Debbie Johnson, echoed those claims.

“We didn't do no practices. We didn't do no fire drills. We didn't do any of that,” Johnson told WCVB Channel 5. She worked as a certified nursing assistant at Gabriel House for four years.

Gabriel House owner Dennis Etzkorn didn’t return calls for comment, including questions about what the fire drill procedures were.

Fall River EMS Chief Beth Faunce arrived shortly after the fire broke out. Severely injured people were laying on the ground near the building.

”A normal paramedic response is to want to do CPR and get them to the hospital,” she said.

But some victims had no pulse.

“ This is the first time in my 30-year career that we had patients that didn't get transported, and that was a really tough decision,” she said. “You move on to the next person who is breathing or having difficulty breathing and getting them into the hospital.”

It’s a reminder, fire prevention engineer Ziavras said, that “in a fire, seconds matter.”