Fall River will hire more firefighters following deadly assisted living facility fire

Facing scrutiny over staffing levels during Sunday’s deadly fire at an assisted living facility, Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan announced the city will hire up to 20 more firefighters and offer more overtime to increase the number of crew members working each shift.

Nine people died and 30 others were injured at an assisted living facility in Fall River called Gabriel House.

Speaking during an impassioned press conference Monday, representatives from the International Association of Fire Fighters claimed a shortage of on-duty firefighters hampered the response to the deadly fire.

National standards for fire departments mandate four firefighters on every truck. Officials say Fall River was operating below those levels, with only two of its 10 vehicles fully staffed. The additional staffing will mean four more engines have four on-duty firefighters.

”The goal obviously would be to get to 10 of 10, but right now we think this is a very positive step in the right direction,” Coogan said at a press conference Wednesday.

The city expects the increased overtime for current firefighters will cost $1.5 million. The goal, Coogan said, is to hire 15 to 20 new firefighters over the coming years to help reach national standards.

Ed Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters and vocal critic of the city’s staffing levels, joined Coogan at the press conference to announce the changes. Coogan said he hashed out the plan together with Kelly, which led to some admittedly “spicy” conversations between the two leaders.

“The staffing issues … aren't just a Fall River problem,” said Kelly. “They're in places all over Massachusetts and beyond and the lesson here is we don't want to have the conversation after the tragedy.”

Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon has defended his department’s response to the fire, saying increased staffing wouldn’t have saved any more lives during Sunday’s fire. But he acknowledged his department needs more “manpower” and said the increased staffing will “allow our firefighters to work safer, which, in turn, makes every citizen of the city safer.”

The cause of Sunday’s fire remains unknown, although authorities say they believe it was accidental. State investigators are also probing the conditions and fire safety practices at the facility, such as the frequency of fire drills.

Coogan said he believes the investigation could lead to stronger fire safety regulations for assisted living facilities like Gabriel House, similar to the oversight required at nursing homes.

He noted that some sprinkler systems, for example, only need to be inspected every 20 years. Gabriel House’s sprinklers were 19 years old. And fire inspections take place only once a year at assisted living facilities, compared to quarterly at nursing homes.

“ I think the changes coming out of this are going to be nationwide,” said Coogan.