VIDEO: Officials announced Wednesday that the fire at the Gabriel House assisted living home in Fall River that killed nine people led to an agreement to make staffing additions to the Fall River Fire Department. Nine people over 60 years old died Sunday night when the fire broke out. Another 30 people were hurt, and two remain in critical condition as of Wednesday afternoon. The day after the fire, the firefighters’ union said the Fall River Fire Department was understaffed.
Edward Kelly, the general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said that if the department had been staffed properly, there would have been eight more firefighters on scene. “The staffing issues in Fall River aren’t just a Fall River problem,” Kelly said. “They are in places all over Massachusetts and beyond. And the lesson here is we don’t want to have the conversation after the tragedy.” The recommendation by the National Fire Protection Association is four firefighters per fire engine. Fall River operated with three until the agreement was reached.
On Wednesday, Kelly, Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan, and Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon held a press conference to announce that negotiations led to an increase of $1.5 million to the fire department budget. Ten firetrucks go out per shift, and currently only two trucks had the minimum staffing standard of four firefighters. Coogan said that is how the city has operated for about 20 years. As of 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, that increased to six trucks with four firefighters. Bacon said in the short term, the gap will be filled with overtime because it takes 9 to 12 months to complete the hiring process. But over the next two years, Bacon expects the department will hire 15-20 firefighters.
