After Fall River fire, CHA plans senior housing sprinkler retrofit
Leaders hope an upgrade will yield reassurance and prevent a similar tragedy at one of Acton’s public housing facilities.
Concordians had questions and worries after this summer’s deadly fire at a Fall River assisted-living facility.
Leaders hope a sprinkler upgrade — still in early planning — will yield some reassurance and prevent a similar tragedy at one of Acton’s public senior housing facilities.
“We said, ‘Oh, my goodness, that could happen anywhere,’” Assistant Fire Chief Walter Latta told The Acton Bridge.
Heeding a fire department recommendation, officials are eying retrofits at Everett Gardens and the Everett Gardens Expansion in Acton Center.
The effort springs from a larger fire safety review of several sites. If the Acton Housing Authority secures funding, officials say, it could be one of the first authorities in the state to run this kind of project.
Fire officials say new sprinklers could save lives, although leaders acknowledge a tough installation schedule for construction-weary residents.
“They’ll be better off in the end,” CHA Board Chair Stephan Bader told The Bridge, “but they’re going to be living in ongoing construction for, potentially, years.”
Information campaign
The Fall River fire ripped through the Gabriel House assisted-living center in July. Ten residents died.
Latta said Acton Fire started fielding calls within 24 hours. Firefighters went to Newbury Court, Acton Park, Care One at Acton, and CHA buildings to answer questions.
Other sites have sprinklers, Latta said, but Everett Gardens doesn’t. The fire department planned a fire safety presentation for residents and reviewed funding options with the CHA.
Everett Gardens and the Everett Gardens Expansion include 52 affordable units in townhouse apartments. The complex is for people who are 60 or up or have a disability.
CHA is already working on a heat pump project at Everett Gardens and the expansion. Crews will then tackle a previously scheduled fire alarm refit.
The authority recently secured $300,000 for the sprinklers from the Acton Municipal Affordable Housing Trust. CHA Executive Director Jennifer Polito said she expects to get state matching aid, but that will take time, and it will probably take at least two years for the sprinklers to come to fruition.
Water damage concerns
The original Everett Gardens buildings date to the 1960s and sit behind Peter Bulkeley Terrace — also a senior public housing site.
Bea Fousek, the CHA board’s resident representative, lives at Peter Bulkeley and said she supports adding sprinklers for her neighbors after hearing residents’ concerns following the Fall River fire.
Polito said CHA got “a lot of complaints,” in the first few weeks of the heat pump project. “It does seem to be getting better,” she said.
One woman who lives in the Everett Gardens Expansion didn’t share her name but wondered, “Why do we need sprinklers?” in a two-story townhouse. She’s worried about water damage if sprinklers go off and said she’ll have to buy renters’ insurance to protect her belongings.
Latta said he understands “construction fatigue” and hears the water damage fears. He said fire crews will stay in touch with residents so they know the sprinkler project is coming and understand its benefits.
Unlike Hollywood portrayals that show an entire network activating simultaneously, though, he said individual sprinkler heads would be designed to go off only when they detect heat.
“I’d rather have a little bit of water than, God forbid, my whole unit caught fire,” Latta said.
Bader said other housing authorities have lost buildings. Beyond the safety benefit, he said the estimated $1 million sprinkler addition “still makes financial sense, because it’s cheaper than building anew after a fire.”
Other efforts
While sprinklers at Everett Gardens might be the most tangible response, Latta said, officials also plan to make fire drills at Peter Bulkeley an annual practice after the Fall River fire.
Firefighters are studying other properties with the goal of “getting familiarized with the building before it’s on fire.”
At Everett Gardens, Latta said officials saw a chance to be “a trendsetter for the rest of the state” as this summer’s disaster prompted a new look at old buildings.
Still years out from sprinkler installation, Bader had a mixed outlook.
“It’s all sounding exciting and daunting at the same time,” he said.
