Colorado Springs Fire Department urges people to stop driving over fire hoses, says it happened twice Sunday

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) says that drivers drove over their fire hose at two separate fires over the weekend.

Now, they are warning drivers of the risks of what driving over the hoses can do to the department.

CSFD says driving over a fire hose can damage equipment, delay emergency operations, create serious safety hazards and cost thousands of dollars to repair or replace.

“I think the biggest thing that we worry about is that if someone drove over one of the hose lines that are feeding our firefighters on the inside and being able to make a fire attack, that's going to cause a significant issue in there. It can also delay rescue efforts on the inside of a home and just the overall being able to extinguish the fire,” CSFD Lt. Eric Ruettinger told KRDO13.

CSFD says it can cost up to $27,000 to replace a hose.

In one of the instances over the weekend, CSFD says it was working an active fire at a van near Delaware Drive and East Bijou Street on Sunday. They say that while they were at the scene, someone drove over the fire hose.

CSFD says the second instance was at a two-alarm fire on Platt Avenue in two abandoned buildings near the Black Sheep.

CSFD is asking drivers to not drive over a fire hose if they see one across a road. Instead, they are asking drivers to turn around, find another route and give the CSFD crew room to work on scene.

“We try our best to be able to get there as quick as we can be able to shut the traffic down... If you see the hose lines, just go ahead and stop. Turn around, and we will get you and guide you to a different direction," Lt. Ruettinger said.

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