Fall River committee backs stricter assisted‑living inspections after Gabriel House fire
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Summary
The Ordinances & Legislation Committee voted to convene city lawyers, the fire chief and inspectional services to pursue an ordinance for stricter safety rules and more frequent inspections at assisted‑living facilities following lessons from the Gabriel House fire; the committee also approved sending a letter to state legislators backing several state commission recommendations.
Fall River’s Ordinances & Legislation Committee voted to advance a resolution calling for the city’s corporation counsel, fire chief and director of inspectional services to draft an ordinance imposing stricter safety requirements and more frequent inspections for assisted‑living facilities.
The resolution, filed after the Gabriel House fire, was described to the committee as a response to gaps found in inspection frequency and emergency procedures. "One of the things was sprinkler issues," Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said, summarizing the state commission’s findings. "The state is recommending more robust evaluations and assessments of patients more regularly to determine who belongs in an assisted living and who belongs in a nursing home."
Glenn Hathaway, building commissioner, said the building involved in the Gabriel House incident was converted from a hotel and relied on sprinklers and other features that may have masked underlying defects. "There were defective sprinkler heads," Hathaway said; he and Bacon told the committee that improved testing and attention to recalled sprinkler heads are among the changes being recommended.
The resolution directs the city to meet with corporation counsel, the fire chief and inspectional services to develop potential local requirements — such as designating a safety coordinator at assisted‑living facilities, increasing the frequency and scope of drills, and considering inspection timing tied to seasonal needs. Chief Bacon said the draft state recommendations also include requirements to attend at least one full evacuation drill per year.
Committee members agreed to send a letter of support to the state delegation for the commission’s recommended changes. The motion to forward that letter to the full council passed unanimously.
Next steps: the committee asked staff to provide copies of the state commission’s recommendations for members to review and directed corporation counsel and staff to prepare a draft resolution for the full council to consider.
