One year after a fire tore through the Gabriel House, killing 10 residents of the Fall River assisted living facility, advocates and fire officials say the tragedy has prompted much-needed reforms. But they say more needs to be done — including more staffing and better checks of sprinkler systems — to ensure these kinds of facilities are safe.
“We still honor the lives of those lost and are looking for meaningful ways to do that — and impact and save lives in other places to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Fall River fire chief Jeffrey Bacon.
New state regulations going into effect later this month will require local fire departments to conduct annual inspections of assisted living residences. The regulations also include requiring residences to have enhanced emergency plans, provide fire safety instruction for staff and conduct quarterly fire drills.
Bacon says the new regulations will help.
“I think they will be safer,” Bacon said. “Essentially, [the new state regulations are] going to require a little more partnership between the fire departments and these facilities, assisted livings, to make sure that they’re doing their evacuation drills and their fire drills,” he said. “But we still need to do better.”
About 18,000 people live in assisted living facilities in Massachusetts — often receiving help with bathing, getting dressed and self-administered medications, according to a 2025 state report.
“Over the past year, we’ve worked closely with residents, families, firefighters, first responders, advocates and providers to make sure we learn from that tragedy and take meaningful action,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a written statement. “These reforms will strengthen safety, improve emergency preparedness and give families greater confidence that their loved ones are living in safe, well-prepared communities.”
One issue in the Gabriel House fire Bacon pointed to still hasn’t been addressed in federal or state fire codes: Some of the Gabriel House’s sprinklers — including in the room where the fire started — did not work.
“Had the sprinklers functioned properly, we’re not having this conversation right now. It is maybe a single fatality fire, but certainly not more than that,” he said. “The good news is that some of the sprinklers did function. And had they not, we would be here talking about 20, 30, 40 victims.”
Bacon said he wants to see national and state fire codes amended to require checks of building sprinkler systems.
“We’re trying to change some of the life safety codes, particularly around sprinklers, making it mandatory that in annual checks — the sprinkler professionals, the licensed professionals — are checking for recalled sprinklers,” Bacon said. “And once that happens, we can have the teeth to make them replace those sprinklers and also provide a fire watch, or whatever we deem necessary, to ensure that these vulnerable populations are protected.”
Bacon said he’s urging building owners to be proactive and contact their sprinkler companies to confirm that none of their sprinklers have been recalled.
Advocates for assisted living residents also note some progress in ensuring the safety of the facilities.
“Things have happened, and for that we are pleased and very supportive, but the work is not done,” said Paul Lanzikos, the state’s former secretary of elder affairs and a co-founder of the group Dignity Alliance Massachusetts.
“We’d like to see more emphasis on the personnel side of things, in terms of qualifications, training and staffing requirements,” Lanzikos said. “Clearly what happened with Gabriel House, it was a very tragic indication of what happens when you don’t have proper staffing.”
Just two staff were on duty at the time of the fire. About 70 residents were living in the building, and many weren’t capable of evacuating themselves, Lanzikos noted.
“Clearly the building was not properly staffed even for basic services, never mind in an emergency circumstance,” he said.
Lanzikos applauded new consumer protection regulations for assisted living residences announced last month by state Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
The regulations require the residences to disclose the costs of services, make it clear what will happen if residents can no longer afford to stay in the facility and offer information about the availability of nursing care. The rules say residents of assisted living residences have the same rights as other tenants.
Following the tragic fire, members of the Fall River Fire Department spoke out about what they saw as insufficient staffing levels, and the city agreed to increase staffing from three to four firefighters per engine company.
“We know that a four-person firefighting crew does significantly more work than a three or two-person crew ... and does it safer and more efficiently,” Bacon said.
He said the city is also working to increase staffing to four people on the city’s ladder trucks and heavy rescue teams. The city’s budget for this fiscal year will likely support about 10% more firefighters — up to 199 from 182.
