Fall River, MA, Firefighter Sounds Alarm on Firehouse Conditions

After the tragic fire in a senior living facility, Fall River firefighters were lauded for their efforts to rescue residents.

Now, one of those firefighters is sounding the alarm about conditions they live in at their fire station.

During a recent visit to a firehouse built in the 1930s, Lt. Jason Burns showed WBZ a ceiling covered in chipping paint, open walls, broken bathrooms, and caution tape wrapped around a pipe that tested positive for asbestos. 

"A shower should work, a sink should be able to work, you shouldn't have paint chips falling on top of you," Burns said.

A $2 million renovation project, planned to improve the firehouse, should begin in five months, Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said.

"There's remediation plans for all kinds of asbestos work that goes on in the city and everybody carries them out appropriately. And I'm sure they'll do that at the fire station," he said.

But, Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said $2 million is a drop in the bucket. He supports legislation that would create a public safety building authority to put more state funds toward firehouse upgrades.