A review of state inspections at the Gabriel House assisted living facility reveal repeated citations for lax reporting of resident emergencies and staff improperly trained in several respects, including the facility’s emergency management plan.
It remains unclear what that plan was.
When asked for a copy of Gabriel House’s emergency management plan, the state Executive Office of Aging and Independence provided a July 2015 document from Gabriel House that promised a plan but did not contain specifics.
Ten people died and about 30 were injured when a fire broke out at the Oliver Street assisted living facility on July 13. The catastrophe saw Fall River firefighters and other safety officials overwhelmed by having to rescue about 70 elderly and infirm residents from a building that quickly filled with smoke.
The facility’s parent company, Gabriel Care Inc., and its operator Dennis Etzkorn are facing multiple lawsuits on behalf of residents. Claims of negligence and improper training form the basis of those suits.
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