Fall River fire chief recommends more hires, better communication in safety report from Gabriel House fire

The Fall River fire chief is recommending safety improvements after the Gabriel House fire that killed 10 in July.

Chief Jeffrey Bacon noted several challenges that firefighters faced that night after a fire broke out in a room at the facility. He said that when crews arrived on scene that night, there was no evacuation ongoing.

He recommended that the department increase the number of firefighters employed. He noted that the national response is 42 firefighters within 10 minutes, but the Fall River Fire Department only had 33 on scene within 15 minutes.

"Additional manpower may have allowed for safer, more efficient operations with reduced fatigue and lower risk of injury," the report said.

Building challenges

He said that the building presented several issues for crews, incl