BOSTON —A critical firefighting tool, a fire hose, failed in a wind-driven blaze that killed two Boston firefighters in March.

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5 Investigates has discovered fire hoses have burned through in other fatal fires across the country.
What started as a routine fire at 298 Beacon St. exploded into a raging inferno, and water that was desperately needed by Lt. Ed Walsh and firefighter Michael Kennedy never came because the attack hose hauled into the building by Kennedy burned through.

Frantic calls for water came from the basement, where the firefighters were trapped.
"Engine 33, mayday. Charge Engine 33’s line now. It’s getting hot down here."

The voices of Engine 33’s Walsh and Ladder 15’s Kennedy were silenced forever.

Kennedy's mother, Kathy Crosby-Bell said the fact that they were calling for water is infuriating, sad and tragic.

"When I look at the firefighters and realize this can happen to any one of them, we need to do something," she said.

5 Investigates discovered this isn’t the first time fire hoses have failed in battling fires where firefighters were killed.

According to the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, in 2008 two firefighters in North Carolina and one firefighter in Alabama died when an attack hose burned through. In 2010 an Illinois firefighter was killed when a hose failed.

Crosby-Bell said she hopes the tragic loss of her son and the failure of a key firefighting tool are a catalyst for change. She founded the Last Call Foundation, which is funding research into fireproof attack hoses.

When asked if she believes the hose failure contributed to Kennedy’s death Crosby-Bell replied, “I'm not sure at this point. Could they have held out and been OK until the other guys got to them? They certainly would have had a better chance if they had water."

The head of the Fire Chiefs’ Association of Massachusetts, Jack Grant, said the fire hose is a lifeline.
“If your lifeline isn’t coming, you’re not in a good place, especially in a basement," he said.
Right now the National Fire Protection Association standard on the hoses requires them to be heat resistant not fireproof. NFPA officials told 5 Investigates there’s a balance to consider when improving firefighting equipment.

They urge researchers to develop tools to keep firefighters safe but not give them a false sense of security.

Ken Willette, division manager of public fire protection for the NFPA, said, "The balance is not to create such an environment that firefighters may get deeper into a situation with the belief that what's behind them will allow them to operate in that environment for a longer period of time."
Grant strongly disagreed, saying "If you can improve safety, improve safety and we'll train ourselves not to overstep our boundaries."

Crosby-Bell told 5 Investigates the safety of other firefighters would be paramount to Kennedy.
“Knowing his death wasn't in vain would be really important," she said.

Research into developing a fireproof attack hose is underway at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The research will be presented to the NFPA’s technical committee, which could result in requiring fire hoses to be fireproof.

For more information on the Last Call Foundation, click here.