IAFF Points Fingers after Deadly Fall River, MA, Assisted Living Facility Fire
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The union representing Fall River firefighters directly called on the city’s mayor to increase staffing levels the day after a deadly blaze at an assisted living facility killed nine and hospitalized nearly 30 on Sunday night.
“The mayor can decide tonight to staff this company, this city properly,” Edward Kelly, the president of the International Association of Firefighters, said during a press conference Monday afternoon.
Kelly said that out of the 10 companies with the Fall River Fire Department, only two are staffed at the national standard of four firefighters.
The other eight are staffed with three firefighters, and Kelly said the inadequate staffing levels affected the response to the fire Sunday night.
“Last night, had they been staffed properly up to national standards, there would have been eight more firefighters affecting rescues here last night,” Kelly said. “There’s no doubt that would have made a difference in the amount of people that we lost to this terrible fire last night.”
He added, “Lives would have been saved if the Fall River Fire Department was adequately staffed.”
A spokesperson for Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said he would release a statement in response on Tuesday.
There are nine companies in neighboring New Bedford, each staffed with four firefighters, according to Kelly.
Off-duty firefighters came to the rescue Sunday night, some of whom did not have adequate equipment, such as breathing apparatus or personal protective equipment, he said
“Yet [they] put their lives at risk, kicked doors in, rescued people, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough,” Kelly said. “That’s wrong. Fall River and the people who live here deserve better.”
A fire broke out at about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Gabriel House Assisted Living Residence, which drew nearly 50 firefighters to the scene and left a vulnerable population calling for help from their windows.
The Gabriel House opened in 1999 and has a total of 100 units, according to a state website.
Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon described rescue efforts as “super labor-intensive and man-power intensive” due to the mobility issues for many of the residents.
The first firefighters at the scene saw flames coming out of the front doors and multiple residents were hanging out of the window, screaming for help, Bacon said.
Authorities identified seven of the nine victims of the fire on Monday afternoon.
Residents of the facility also spoke with MassLive on Monday. One said, “I just opened the window and I yelled, ‘Help, help, help.’”
The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation by state and local authorities. The cause does not appear to be suspicious at this time, the Bristol District Attorney’s Office said.
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