By Charlie McKenna
masslive.com
FALL RIVER, Mass. — The union representing Fall River’s firefighters and city officials reached an agreement to increase the fire department’s staff, a major point of contention in the wake of a deadly fire that killed nine people at an assisted living facility.
At a press conference Wednesday afternoon at City Hall, Mayor Paul Coogan said the city intended to increase the number of fire engines fully staffed at the national standard of four firefighters per truck. The department typically staffs just two of its ten fire engines at that standard, but Coogan said the agreement will increase the number to six.
That means Fall River will bring on 15 to 20 firefighters in the next two years, Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said at the press conference. In the short term, while those firefighters are hired and trained, the new staffing level will be covered by overtime.
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With the new agreement, which Coogan said represented an increase of about $1.5 million to the city’s budget, a minimum of 38 firefighters will work each shift, Bacon said. On Sunday night, that would have meant three more firefighters able to respond to the scene when the fire broke out, throwing ladders and rescuing trapped residents.
“We think this is a very positive step in the right direction,” Coogan said.
The announcement comes after days of strife between the city and the union representing its firefighters. International Association of Firefighters President Ed Kelly said Monday afternoon that had Fall River been staffed to national standards, more lives would have been saved.
On Wednesday, Kelly acknowledged the staffing boost was a step in the right direction, but said the union will continue to press for more firefighters.
“We look forward to cooperating in the future to get all 10 fire companies in Fall River up to that minimum national standard. We think that there’s a great move in the right direction,” he said.
Bacon, the fire chief, noted that the dispute over staffing in the city dates back years. He acknowledged that it might have been difficult for Coogan or other city officials to comprehend the necessity of the increased manpower until the fire broke out Sunday.
“I think finally, in the last two days, the ball went off in Mayor Coogan’s head, and he realized that this is something that we need to do,” he said. “I applaud him for taking that step.”
The increased number of firefighters working will allow faster fire suppression efforts, faster rescues and will allow firefighters to work safer, Bacon said.
The city intends to work with the union to get to the point where all 10 engines are staffed at the minimum standard of four firefighters per truck, Coogan said.
Coogan said the city believed there was a “light at the end of the tunnel” regarding the funding, after conversations with state and federal officials, including Gov. Maura Healey, who visited the scene Monday.
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