State moves to require yearly checks for recalled sprinkler heads, a change Fall River firefighters proposed after Gabriel House fire
The proposed text would treat a system with recalled heads as impaired and require a report to the fire chief within 24 hours. It is not final; a public comment period comes first.
FALL RIVER Fire sprinkler systems in Massachusetts would have to be checked every year for recalled sprinkler heads under fire code changes the state Board of Fire Prevention Regulations voted Thursday, Oct. 15, to move forward. A Fall River fire captain proposed the change after the Gabriel House fire, which killed 10 people, Gov. Maura Healey's office said in a release that day.
The vote starts the formal rulemaking process, and the rule is not yet in force. The state Department of Fire Services says on its fire code page that the proposed text "is not final and remains subject to change" and that a public comment period is still required. The governor's office said the new edition of the code is expected early next year.
What the proposed rule says
Under the draft posted by the Department of Fire Services, the sprinkler inventory kept for each system would be checked once a year against recalls issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a sprinkler maker or "another nationally recognized safety organization." Spare sprinklers kept in the building's sprinkler cabinet would be checked too, and the results would go in the inspection report.
A system found with recalled heads would be "considered impaired," and the impairment would have to be reported to the head of the local fire department within 24 hours, the draft says. Owners would have to replace recalled heads "without unreasonable delay" and keep proof of the work for fire officials. Recalled heads could not be put back into any system or kept as spares. When an inspector cannot tell whether a recall applies, the sprinkler would be "presumed to be subject to recall until its status has been verified."
Local fire officials could let a system stay in service, with written approval, after weighing the hazard, according to the draft. They could also order "additional protective measures" to keep "an equivalent level of fire and life safety" until the heads are replaced.
Where the change came from
The governor's release credits Fall River Fire Capt. Joshua Hetzler with proposing the change. The fire broke out July 13, 2025, at Gabriel House, an assisted living residence on Oliver Street, according to the Fall River Fire Department. It "claimed 10 lives and required the evacuation of more than 50 other residents," the release says. "I'm grateful to the Fall River firefighters who brought these recommendations forward and to the Board for taking action," Healey said in it.
Fall River fire officials made the case in public in May, saying they were working with the National Fire Sprinkler Association on a rule requiring yearly inspections to confirm no recalled heads were installed, news reports at the time said.
The fire department's own after action report on the fire, dated October 2025, urged applying the fire codes that cover nursing homes to "assisted living facilities and other occupancies that house vulnerable populations," naming group homes, boarding houses, day cares, sober homes and shelters. The report says the city water connection kept the sprinkler system supplied until it was shut off later that night. It does not discuss recalled sprinkler heads.
State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine sits on the board and voted for the sprinkler provisions, the release says. "The Gabriel House residents and their families have not left our thoughts in the 15 months since that tragic night in 2025," he said in it. State Sen. Michael J. Rodrigues and state Reps. Carole Fiola, Alan Silvia and Steve Ouellette also gave statements in the release. Ouellette said the rules address "the local fire departments and inspection agency's ability to inspect and enforce the regulations."
Other changes in the package
The same vote covers other fire code updates, the release says: a ban on welding, grinding and other hot work when winds top 15 mph, hot work safety training renewed every three years, combined permit and certification requirements, and closer alignment with national standards. The draft is built on the 2024 edition of NFPA 1, Fire Code, the national code the state amends. The code now in force is based on the 2021 edition and took effect Dec. 9, 2022, the fire services department's page says.
The sprinkler rule builds on earlier state action. In July, the administration finalized rules requiring yearly fire inspections, more frequent fire drills, stronger emergency plans and better evacuation procedures at assisted living residences statewide, the release says.
What happens next
The board must hold the public comment period before the text is final. The rule takes effect only after the final version is published in the Massachusetts Register, the fire services department says. The proposed text is posted on the department's Massachusetts Fire Code page at mass.gov. Questions can go to the department's Code Compliance Desk, 978-567-3375, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
How we verified this
Every fact about the vote, the proposed rule and the quotes comes from the governor's Oct. 15 release, the Department of Fire Services fire code page and the proposed code text itself, all read Oct. 19 and checked again the same morning. The fire date and the sprinkler supply come from the fire department's after action report. The rule's wording is quoted from the draft, pages 44 and 45; the draft is marked not final. The background on the May push appears in two news reports listed below. Both also described claims in a civil lawsuit over the fire; we left those out because they are unproven claims and we did not read the court record. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. Not heard: no one was contacted. Questions for the Fall River Fire Department and the Department of Fire Services were logged but had not been sent as of Oct. 19.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (6)
- Governor Healey Announces New Fire Safety Requirements Approved to Protect Massachusetts Residents (Oct. 15, 2026)Office of the Governor and Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, press release. The vote, Hetzler's proposal, the toll, the quotes, the other code changes, the July assisted living rules, early next year. Read Oct. 19, 2026.
- Massachusetts Fire CodeDepartment of Fire Services. Notice that the board voted Oct. 15 to begin the promulgation process, the text is not final, the comment period, the Massachusetts Register; current code in effect Dec. 9, 2022; Code Compliance Desk. Read Oct. 19, 2026.
- Proposed amendments to 527 CMR 1.00, Massachusetts Amendments to NFPA 1, 2024 (137 pages)Board of Fire Prevention Regulations, proposed text marked not final. Section 13.3.3.4.1.1.1.1, Sprinkler Recall, pages 44 and 45. Read Oct. 19, 2026.
- Gabriel House Fire After Action Report (PDF, 27 pages)Fall River Fire Department, October 2025. Recommendation 7 on code changes; sprinkler flow. Read Oct. 19, 2026.
- Fall River fire chief calls for changes to state codeNBC Boston, May 21, 2026. Background: Fall River fire officials sought yearly recalled-head inspections with the National Fire Sprinkler Association; Hetzler quote. Read Oct. 19, 2026.
- Fall River firefighters push to change fire safety codes after Gabriel House tragedyWPRI 12, May 2026 (page shows no exact date). Background: same push, same partner. Read Oct. 19, 2026.