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Lakeville Fire Chief Urges Planning Board to Consider Elevator Access in Multistory Senior Housing
Summary
Chief O'Brien told the planning board that lack of elevators in recent multistory senior housing increases risk during medical emergencies and risks injury to first responders; he asked the board to consider public-safety implications when reviewing projects.
Lakeville’s fire chief attended the planning board meeting on June 12 to press for greater attention to elevator access in multistory residential buildings, particularly senior housing.
Chief O’Brien described operational problems the department faces when buildings lack elevators, saying emergency responders sometimes must carry patients down stairs, which interrupts medical care. “Any interruption in CPR decreases the likelihood of that of their survival,” he told the board, and he added that responding crews can be injured when removing patients from upper floors without elevator access. He said staffing levels on some days can be as low as three responders, which increases those risks.
The chief acknowledged the planning board’s limits under state regulations but said his goal is to raise awareness and identify opportunities where the board can encourage developers to design projects that reduce burdens on first responders. Board members and the chief discussed that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board set accessibility requirements that generally do not mandate elevators in three-story buildings unless specific conditions apply.
Board members said they appreciated the chief’s outreach and asked to be notified when projects before the board present access or life-safety concerns so they can address them in plan review. The chief also suggested the town could communicate with state representatives about the issue and highlighted several recent local buildings the department has reviewed.
No regulatory change or formal recommendation was adopted at the meeting; the discussion was framed as awareness-raising and a request that the planning board take fire-rescue operational impacts into account in its reviews.
