Fall River City Council passes assisted living regulation measure 9-0 in wake of Gabriel House fire

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — Wednesday marked one month since the deadly Gabriel House fire in Fall River.

Now the city council is working with other local leaders to make assisted living facilities safer.

City council vice president Linda Pereira introduced a resolution to implement stricter inspections and regulations for assisted living facilities.

It was unanimously passed Tuesday.

The resolution calls for assisted living facility regulations to be as strict as those for long-term care facilities.

Right now, assisted living facilities in Massachusetts follow state regulations.

Long-term care facilities are regulated federally and by the state.

The city council said it will now work with the fire chief, director of inspectional services and other local leaders to update Fall River’s protocols for assisted living facilities.

On the state level, Governor Maura Healey is also implementing stricter safety inspections for the state’s 273 assisted living facilities.

Meanwhile, the Fall River Fire Department is offering an update on the fire survivors.

According to the department, two local facilities, Kimwell and Fall River Health Care, have taken in the largest number of survivors.

Additionally, Amazon has sent a donation firefighters are calling “much needed support.”

Members of the fire prevention bureau then organized and delivered the donated items to those two centers.