A press conference was held on July 22, 2025, in Fall River, Massachusetts, to address the recent "horrific tragedy" at Gabriel House. Mayor Coogan opened the event by thanking various state and federal partners, including Governor Healey, for their immediate and ongoing support. Governor Healey then announced several key state actions aimed at enhancing public safety and preventing similar incidents in the future.
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Uh uh first of all I do want to thank um obviously all the media for coming out today. You guys have been great on this story, but I particularly want to thank our partners uh that are with us in this meeting. It was a great exchange of ideas that um I believe the administration and the governor's office will be taking back things to Beacon Hill that they think are tangible that
0:44can make a difference in safety. Um inside the room were the department heads for the city of Fall River. We had representatives from Senator Marky's office, Senator Warren's office. Our congressman Jake Ashenclaus, our local uh state delegation was also well representative with uh um Representative Wulette, Fiola, Sylvia, and Senator Michael Rodri. all have been here from day one to try to help to improve safety
1:12in the Commonwealth of uh Massachusetts in spite of a horrific tragedy that was uh that was or that occurred in the city of Fall River. Um I want to I'm not going to talk today. I'm going to introduce my good friend um Governor Healey. We were on the phone last night at probably about nine o'clock at night um trying to get property out of one of the rooms at the Gabriel House to help a
1:39tenant. That's how involved she's been from the get-go on this. She was here Monday. I probably talked to her three or four times this week and again last night and she's down again today. Uh it's the kind of hands-on leadership I like seeing in a crisis and I can't thank her enough for her interest in ways to improve not only safety in the city of Fall River but across our state.
2:00And again, I want to make sure she gets uh she gets credit for that because I believe in my heart of hearts that she really did as much as possible to help the city of Fall River and make it safer going forward with her involvement after this tragedy occurred to all of us on Sunday night. So again, thank you, Governor Healey.
2:20Thank you.
2:24Thank you, Mayor Coogan, for hosting us today and for your steady leadership throughout this very difficult time. Um, thank you to Chair Rodri, to Representatives Fiola, Sylvia, and Olette for your continued partnership, your advocacy on behalf of Fall River. I also want to recognize District Attorney Tom Quinn. Um, and this uh this team here in Fall River. Um, the mayor uh mentioned that we were just briefed by
2:52department heads and and that was very helpful to me and my uh administration.
2:56I want to recognize Chief Bacon and the entire Fall River Police uh fire department who worked with such skill and dedication last week. The same goes for police chief uh Kelly Fittado and EMS Chief Beth F as well as EMA Chief uh Aguar. Uh thank you to all uh the first responders. I also want to thank the uh city members of the city council and city employees who've been working very hard for their community
3:23both during and after this tragedy. So, I'm here today joined by our Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kiaming Mahania, and our Secretary of Aging and Independence, Robin Lipson. We are here today to listen, to make sure that we understand what this community needs now and moving forward in the wake of this tragedy. We're also here to discuss what we're doing um as a state to ensure that
3:49tragedies like this don't happen again.
3:52Um all of us, I know all of us here are uh of the deep view that no family uh no resident, no community should ever have to to suffer or live with fear, um that something like this could happen to them or to their loved one. I want to start with firefighting resources. Um I think the last week showed us how dependent we are on uh firefighters and first responders to keep us safe, particularly
4:17when it comes to the most vulnerable among us. Uh there is no doubt in my mind that the uh the uh numbers would have been um um unbelievably high were it not for the skill and the dedication of that response by first responders. So I want to make sure as governor that we are doing all that we can to support our first responders that we are supporting local fire services as much as we can.
4:44Uh for that purpose today I'm announcing that I'm making $1.2 2 million in state funding available for Fall River to hire more emergency response personnel. I've instructed my team to expedite the release of funds in the municipal public safety staffing program. This uh $5.7 million in funding for that program is for police and fire. It will be open to all 10 eligible communities which in
5:12addition to Fall River include Brockton, Framingham Haveril Lawrence LOL Lynn, Malden, Newton, and Somerville. I want to thank in particular Chair Mike Rodri for his continued uh leadership on this front and to the legislature for making available and appropriating these important funds for fire and uh first responder personnel. Thank you very much, Chair Rodri. Thank you to the legislature. My job as governor is to
5:42make sure that money gets out the door and gets out very quickly. We're expediting this in light of the tragedy again with um significant funding going to Fall River as well as going to nine other communities that are eligible by law. I also want to provide an update on what we are doing to ensure safety at all of our assisted living facilities across Massachusetts.
6:05Beginning yesterday, we launched a statewide fire and life safety initiative. These are steps to ensure that all 273 assisted living facilities in the state are prepared to prevent fires and protect residents during emergencies.
6:23Here are some of the things that we are requiring under the leadership of Secretary Libson. Each FAC uh each facility must provide detailed information demonstrating compliance with fire safety requirements, including sprinkler systems, evacuation protocols, fire rated doors and walls, emergency preparedness plans, and more. Each facility must issue a letter to all residents and family members of those
6:52residents within five business days outlining fire safety protocols, evacuation procedures, and key points of contact for questions or concerns. I have directed Secretary Lipson and her team to identify additional regulations that could further protect residents in assisted living. And some of the briefing, the important briefing we had from Fall River officials today was very helpful in the formulation of potential
7:20recommendations and uh regulations. This work builds on progress of the Assisted Living Residences Commission established by the Long-Term Care Legislation that I signed last year. Again, my thanks to the legislature for bringing that forward and for prioritizing these issues.
7:38In closing, I just want to say once again that Fall River is an amazing community. It's a resilient community.
7:47Last week, it was tested in the most horrific way. But I saw a city of neighbors who care about one another, who step up for one another, who look after one another. And I saw first responders and public servants do amazing things. And they do that because they care deeply about the people they serve. That is the spirit that I support today, that I applaud today. And I just want you to know, mayor, that I will
8:19continue to be in close contact with you, with your team, and we will continue to support the great community of Fall River and its people. Thank you.
8:34Governor, I think we're happy to uh to take any questions on topic.
8:40Governor, are you acknowledging that the city did not have enough resources last week by allocating more money?
8:46Absolutely not. What I'm doing is underscoring what has always been my commitment to first responders to public safety. you know, whether as attorney general or now as governor, we want to make sure that we are working with the legislature that I know prioritizes this as seen by the fact that this is money that has been appropriated each year. My job is to make sure that money get out gets out the door as quickly as
9:09possible. And that's what we're doing today for Fall River and for these other communities. Um, we are always going to look and it is a responsibility of government to take stock and to look at what happened. Um and are there things that could be done or should be done differently with regard to assisted living facilities or other places um that house people particularly vulnerable residents and that was an
9:34important part of today's convening.
9:37Given the level of inspection that was done just days before this and what they say was approved, from what you've learned so far, does it tell you that the the rules have to be more stringent or more complete or that the inspections did not do what they did under the current rules?
9:56No, I can't draw any conclusions about that. Um what um and I welcome anybody else's comments here. I know there's this this matter is under investigation by the state agency, the Department of Fire Services. Um, and I think what uh what's important here is that if there are things that could be done, if there are are um updates that need to be made either by regulation or by legislation,
10:20you've got a team here that is committed to act. And it's not just a team in Fall River. I think that any elected official um is ready to work in partnership with others at the state, local, and federal level to make sure that we're doing all that we can to secure and to ensure the public safety of all of our residents.
10:37And you know, assisted living facilities, I mean, many of you have loved ones that you know in and people that you care about in these facilities.
10:45They're growing. People are living longer. Um people need housing. And so, you know, we're at 273 statewide. And I think it's against that context that it was appropriate for the legislature and I applaud them in the passage of the long-term care bill also with the establishment of the assisted living facility uh commission to take a good look to make sure that Massachusetts is at the very top as we should be when it
11:11comes to looking after aging um uh residents and uh and that includes the most vulnerable among them. Governor, in terms of your recommendations for assisted living facilities, it seems like they're still pretty reliant on self-reporting. So, what is going to be the enforcement arm of those recommendations? Will there be any more in-person state inspections of these facilities? And then for Secretary
11:34Lipson, really quickly, um, what is there going to be any review of how state inspectors handled Gabriel House specifically in 2023?
11:42Well, um, let me offer this and I'll invite Secretary Lipson to to offer more. Um we're engaged right now. She is leading this commission uh alongside others, working with others on this commission, taking in information and making sure I know uh that uh what comes forward, what is brought forward is uh the very best in terms of recommended next steps and I can tell you that they are working as expeditiously as
12:08possible. Um they've been meeting over the last several months. In fact, they had a meeting just last Wednesday and in light of the challenge and the and the tragedy here. Um they uh are going to be uh continuing to work over the coming weeks um to make sure that any recommendations that come from that commission reflect important input and uh things that may have been learned through this uh terrible tragedy at
12:39Gabriel House. I don't know if you wish to say anything else.
12:41I'll just add one quick thing. Thanks, Governor, and thanks for that question.
12:45Just to clarify, so at a minimum, our team that certifies these residences do a visit, a very in-depth visit with a full day or two of preparation before an actual site visit. They do that at least every two years, but we have the authority to go out unannounced and more frequently than that, and we do. So, just know that that's baseline. Um and then uh we asked each of the 273
13:13buildings to complete a survey for us uh and to submit that within the next few weeks to affirm and confirm that they have all the proper fire safety mechanisms in place that they can document all their recent drills and when they were and how many people attended and so forth. So we'll be taking in that information. and we'll make sure we get it from every building.
13:38Um, and then we may use that information to go out and to do additional oversight where warranted.
13:46And for the 2023 inspection, is there going to be any review of that? I mean, one thing that stuck out to me was there were sanitation issues in the building, bed bugs, and none of that came up in the city.
13:58Um, there are always uh there are oftentimes findings from these visits.
14:04Um the residences must submit a plan of correction in order to be certified. Uh so we have all that from 23. As complaints come up as they always do um they are often directed to our ombbudsman for assisted living and then those complaints get reviewed and evaluated and if a team needs to go back out and do another visit they do. So thank you.
14:29This question is for the governor. This tragedy has not only communities who were there as a mutual aid that night, but it's now affected everyone nationwide. Uh, you know, on scene, seeing the memorial, people come by and cry. You don't even know these families that they were affected. Have you spoken to the paramedics who were on scene that night and discussed mental health resources? How did that look forward?
14:53I think it's u early on in that initial conversation I had with Chief Bacon. um you know uh that Monday that Monday morning that I was down after the fire.
15:04I mean that was one of the first things we discussed because you know uh that is absolutely the case that first responders and those who are on scene for horrific tragedies like this um experience that trauma and need to have their own needs taken care of. It's so often the case that they all put their the their their priority on the needs of of others, right? Um and we commend them
15:30for that and their heroism um and their willingness to serve in that way. It's also really important that we support their mental health. And as governor, um I'm doing everything I can to make sure that we get those resources out to support first responders and and those who serve.
15:46Why does it take a tragedy or this magnitude to sort of take a closer look at these facilities and and change.
15:53Um, it didn't. That started before this.
15:56As I say, the legislature passed the long-term care facility um law last year. The commission's underway. In fact, was ready to come out with some uh recommendations and then this happened.
16:06So, I thought it was very prudent that um more time be taken to make sure that anything that could have been learned from this experience, this tragedy is accounted for. But um I can tell you every day uh there are inspections happening across the state. There are um drills uh and fire safety and protocols that are that are happening um engaged in by um uh local uh officials and uh
16:32personnel as well as state officials and personnel. And I think the the important thing for the public to know is every day we want to make sure that we're putting forward the very best effort in terms of how we're approaching things in an everchanging and evolving world and that uh you know our folks have the resources and again I'm uh grateful for the legislature for coming forward
16:55continued funding for public safety departments so that we have the staffing um filled as we'd want that to be.
17:03question to the chief fire chief perhaps assistant funding chief. What does that mean for your department?
17:12Uh so we've committed uh as of last week to uh staffing all uh of our engine companies with four firefighters. Um, and that funding is going to help us provide that in the short term through overtime and to start coming up with a financial model to uh hire sufficient firefighters to not have that reliance on overtime and staff the department properly.
17:36Thanks everybody. And again, our hearts go out to the family and the friends of those who lost loved ones in this terrible tragedy. Um I am um deeply sorry for your loss. The uh entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts and all 7 million people um I know share in that sentiment and that expression of uh sympathy for uh those families and know that as governor I will do everything that I can to uh work with partners to
18:10make sure that we are doing all that we can to uh ensure public safety across communities. Thank you very much and thank you to Mayor Coogan and uh the fall great Fall River team. Thank you.
18:24We'll come back. Okay. Thanks everybody.