Why Massachusetts is revisiting single-stair fire safety rules now

by ConstructionFeatured NewsSafety

Healey-Driscoll administration launches advisory group on single-stair fire safety rules

A new Massachusetts executive order will study allowing single-stair construction in some residential buildings above three storeys.

Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll announced the order on 13 February 2026.

The announcement described the current Massachusetts building code requirement for two exit stairs in buildings above three storeys or with long interior corridors.

The release said this requirement can make it harder to build mid-rise development on smaller parcels.

Driscoll said: “Building new housing that prioritizes affordability, enhancing the livability of our communities and keeping people safe couldn’t be more important as we respond to our housing shortage.”

“Our administration is spurring all kinds of housing production to meets the range of needs facing Massachusetts residents, so I’m eager for the advisory group to get started and study the feasibility of single stair construction while considering all possible safety risks.”

Advisory group remit and building code updates

The announcement said the Governor is establishing a technical advisory group to develop a process for evaluating whether, and under what conditions, single-stair multifamily residential buildings above three storeys can be safely permitted in Massachusetts.

The release said the group will include fire services, building officials, national architectural experts, accessibility advocates and public-safety professionals.

Its charge includes comparing single-stair and multi-stair buildings, identifying required fire and life safety precautions and recommending targeted updates to the State Building Code.

Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus said: “Every safe, evidence-based strategy to build more homes is needed to meet the housing demands we’re facing, and single-stair multifamily residential buildings could offer us a new way to increase our housing supply.”

“This executive order will bring together the right people – from fire safety officials to architects, accessibility experts and more – who will help us explore the possibilities and find the best path forward.”

Existing practice examples and land capacity estimates

The announcement said Massachusetts would be following an approach used in numerous U.S. states and in other countries if it adopts a single-stair standard for residential buildings above three storeys.

It gave examples including New York City and Seattle permitting single-stair buildings up to six storeys for decades and Honolulu legalising them in 2012.

It also said Tennessee, Montana and Connecticut have enacted legislation allowing single-stair buildings up to six storeys under specified safety conditions.

The release cited Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies identifying 4,955 underutilised parcels within ¾ mile of rapid transit that could host a mid-rise building.

It said the Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates these sites could produce up to 130,000 new housing units through urban infill alone if single stair is allowed up to six storeys and 24 units.

John Nunnari, Executive Director, AIA Massachusetts, said: “This is a thoughtful, evidence-driven step that brings together architects, fire-safety professionals and public officials to carefully evaluate how housing production, affordability and life-safety can be advanced together.”

“We look forward to contributing our expertise to a transparent, data-informed process that prioritizes both safe building design and the creation of much-needed housing across the Commonwealth.”

The release said the advisory group will study feasibility and safety risks as part of the executive order’s process.

Firefighters still working on Leverett, Massachusetts forest fire

by Americas - Featured News

A fire that has burned trees and consumed undergrowth on about 66 acres of woodland between Montague Road and Route 63 north of Leverett Pond is mostly contained following five full days of firefighting.

Leverett Fire Chief John Ingram said Tuesday that firefighters have gained control of the blaze by establishing a secure fire line, which runs about 1½ miles around the perimeter of the fire and is designed to prevent its continued spread.

The fire line was cut by a bulldozer, donated by Wagner Wood of Amherst for use for two days. The bulldozer scraped away ground cover to get to bare ground. Then, firefighters dug a trench at the fire line by hand, with the aim of breaking the greenery and ensuring the fire has no way of escaping.

“We’re in a much better place than we were,” Ingram said.

At the peak of the fire over the weekend, more than 100 firefighters from throughout the region were on scene to battle the blaze.

Ingram estimates that the fire is now 80% contained. The continued challenge is due to the landscape’s significant ledge and not being able to make a perfect circle around the fire.

For the rest of the week, at least through Saturday, there will just be crews of two Leverett firefighters going out, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, to make sure the fire remains under control, Ingram said. They will get assistance from the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation and state wildlife management employees.

The work began last Thursday when the department got calls from Rattlesnake Gutter Road residents and identified the plumes of smoke were coming from what is known as Joshua Hill. The cause of the fire is not yet known and remains under investigation.

The wet weather this week has helped, but Ingram said it won’t be enough to get down into the roots and fully douse the blaze.

“That whole area will be hot for a while,” Ingram said. Because of that, Ingram said hikers and those who are curious should not venture onto the land.

“It’s still too dangerous to be in that inner circle,” Ingram said, adding that some trees continue to be consumed and burning limbs and entire trees are occasionally falling.

As firefighters did work in the woods, residents and area businesses helped to bring breakfast, lunch and dinner to them. Leverett Connects, the town’s e-newsletter, served as a way to get people to get the necessary food and drink to the Leverett Safety Complex.

The work included arranging for the delivery of pizzas by Amherst House of Pizza, purchase of sandwiches and grinders from Big Y Supermarket, donation of bananas by Atkins Farms Country Market and 40 pounds of ice by Liquors 44 in Hadley, a half-pallet of water bottles from Home Depot and a mixed box of apples and pears from the Leverett Village Co-op. Stop & Shop provided gift cards for supplies.