Local News

New firehose introduced in Boston, dedicated to fallen firefighters

"This new hose will save lives."

A new, stronger, and more heat-resistant firehose was dedicated to two fallen firefighters at Engine 33 Ladder 15, located on Boylston Street in Back Bay. David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe

By Melissa Ellin

February 15, 2023

2 minutes to read

A new, safer firehose was introduced Tuesday at a Boston fire station and dedicated to two fallen firefighters. The “Snap-tite Warrior Fire Hose” is meant to provide added protection to firefighters, offering a higher heat resistance and added durability.

The new, red firehose honors Firefighter Michael R. Kennedy, 33, and Fire Lt. Edward J. Walsh Jr., 43, who died nine years ago in the line of duty. Both worked at Engine 33 — where the dedication was held.

The night they died, Kennedy and Walsh were battling a Back Bay blaze when their water ran low. Despite their pleas for help and colleagues’ efforts to assist, the fire claimed both of their lives.

Last Call Foundation President and Kennedy’s mother, Kathy Crosby-Bell, said at the meeting that she spearheaded the efforts to replace “inferior fire hoses,” like the one Kennedy used. She said about the new hose, “it’s the hose they should have had in the first place.”

“When Michael died, I was told his hose never got water in that awful fire,” she said. “At Michael’s gravesite, I swore to him that I would fix it.”

Kathy Crosby-Bell speaks at the new firehose dedication at Engine 33 Ladder 15. – David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe

Edward Kelly, the general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, who spoke later at the event, said he knew both Walsh and Kennedy well, and that a week before the fire he’d sat on Kennedy’s lap in a crowded limousine. He said they were “beasts of firefighters, everything you would want a firefighter to be.”

Walsh figured out his hose wasn’t getting water, Kelly said, and there was nothing he could do about it. With the new technology, though, he said he does not think that would have been the case.

“It would have been a different story,” he said. “It would have been a different fire.”

The Last Call Foundation provided the funding to make the hose possible.

Crosby-Bell said it took lots of effort, and many told her it would not be possible to create such a hose, but she was able to find one.

The technology, Crosby-Bell added, could have been introduced earlier, and the hose is one of many further safety improvements that still need to be made.

In the meantime, the hoses will roll out to local departments soon.

“It is my sincerest hope that this firehose keeps Michael working with all of you, keeping you safe, bringing the water you call for at every fire,” Crosby-Bell said.

Mayor Michelle Wu, also in attendance, called for additional funding for our “heroes,” and said she was proud to dedicate the “thermally superior firehose to the next generation of firefighters.

“To keep our communities safe, we must invest in the health and safety of those charged to protect them,” she said.

Boston Fire Department Commissioner Paul Burke called the firehose “a firefighter’s lifeline” and said even before the introduction of a new one yesterday, Boston’s was “the best on the market.”

The “Snap-tite Warrior Fire Hose” is now the longest lasting hose available, lasting up to 15 minutes under direct flame, he said, adding that the added time could give firefighters the chance to escape a deadly situation. BFD purchased 100 feet per engine of the stronger, more heat-resistant hose.

“This new hose will save lives,” Burke said, adding that “my hope is that whenever a firefighter sees this red rope on an engine they will think of Eddy and Mike. I know I will.”