The Fall River Fire Department has released its report on the details of its operation at the Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility fire that claimed the lives of ten residents on the evening of July 13.
The report focuses on the department’s response to the fire and the challenges it faced, including the construction of the building and the spread of the fire. It also focused on staffing levels available to the department at the time and the response made by the officers on scene. The report also provides recommendations to improve operations in the future.
The report indicated that the building, although sprinkled, provided challenges for firefighters due to the lack of hallway fire doors, which could have restricted the spread of the fire.
The report reiterated the investigators’ initial release that the cause of the fire was within a second-floor room on the east side of the building. The official cause is undetermined, with two possible accidental ignition sources: smoking materials or an oxygen concentrator failure.
The report also pointed to what were inadequate firefighter staffing levels at the fire. 33 were on scene in under 15 minutes after the initial box alarm was received. National standards recommend that fires in what are considered “high-risk occupancies” like Gabriel House, 42 firefighters should have been dispatched within the first ten minutes of the incident. Incident communication and crew integrity were also impacted.
Although the firefighters on scene were recognized for their skill and professionalism in rescuing 53 residents, the report’s conclusion stated, “This incident highlights the importance of pre-incident planning, ongoing training, clear communications, crew integrity, and accountability in complex emergencies. It also identified areas for operational improvement, including staffing for high-risk facilities and the value of permanently assigned District Chief aides.”
Since the fire, the firefighters’ union has been working with the Coogan Administration in seeking funding to increase staffing levels.
Read the FULL AFTER ACTION REPORT
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