Battenfeld: Sweeping reform needed for assisted living facilities after Fall River tragedy

A lot of people elected leaders and state and local fire administrators have plenty of explaining to do in the wake of the tragic fire that swept through a Fall River assisted living facility killing nine older residents Just showing up to the Gabriel House scene is not enough as Gov Maura Healey did earlier this week Going on CNN as Mayor Paul Coogan did is not enough A full review is already underway Healey revealed in a declaration I know the people of Fall River are strong and resilient and now is the time for us to all come together to sponsorship one another through this terrible tragedy But the Healey and Coogan administrations should be providing answers to particular basic questions What was the evacuation plan at the facility What was the staffing Was the fire suppression system working Why were there disabled people in wheelchairs and oxygen masks on the second and third floors How did you allow this clearly dilapidated place to exist Why is the state so sluggish about releasing documents Why has the fire marshal s office whom Healey referred all questions to been so silent Shouldn t the fire chief be aware of buildings that are dangerous and do something about it Sen Elizabeth Warren who has been calling for better regulation of assisted living homes should be demanding answers like the rest of the state delegation and state lawmakers There are serious problems that have been going on for years Warren announced at a hearing last year Now it s time for her and others to follow up with action This was a preventable tragedy Nine people did not have to die horribly trying to escape the aging facility in Fall River This place was a fire trap Absolutely put people could not get out Someone knew there were vulnerable people living there why didn t anyone speak out about that before the fire There requirements to be a serious response to these questions not just scrambling to cover your butts and passing the buck to yet another agency with no answers As usual when something like this happens leaders are in the bunker Why wasn t the fire chief proactive to ensure people living there were safe The simple question is Why didn t you prevent this Same goes for the mayor How did you not know this residents safety hazard was lurking in your city For Gov Healey why didn t the fire marshal s office prevent this Why aren t assisted living facilities regulated properly like nursing homes are These places are operating like the Wild West unlike nursing homes There demands to be nothing less than sweeping revision from the state and the feds in the wake of this horrible fire It s time for a full review of the state and city s complicity in this There should be outrage not just passing the buck from city to state to fire marshal back to city And increasing fire department staffing levels as Mayor Coogan ordered on Wednesday is too late to save anyone at the Gabriel House though it may be needed