Mayor Larson, Fire Officials: Stop Running Over Hose Lines

DULUTH, Minn. –  Duluth Mayor Emily Larson and firefighters are pleading with drivers to stop running over their hoses at fire scenes before someone gets hurt or even killed.

The latest incident happened Friday during a massive fire of a vacant building on East First Street.

According to fire officials, when a vehicle drives over a hose line, water pressure is lost and so is that line, leaving firefighters in a burning building without their biggest defense — water.

“You’re looking at the immediate loss of water pressure in that line, and so the crews that are inside on the other end of that hose line now have no water,” said Brent Consie, assistant fire chief. “And so whatever their situation is, whether it’s to put out the fire or protect people in place while their trying to get people out of the building, they lose the capability right away and the danger level goes way up.”

Driving over fire hoses is also a petty misdemeanor with a fine up to $300, according to Consie.

Meanwhile, Mayor Emily Larson took to Twitter Sunday with her frustrations involving the fire hose issue saying, “It’s ridiculous we even need to remind people. Driving over an unprotected fire hose is dismissive of the emergency at hand, extremely dangerous to our workers and against the law. Just don’t.”