US riots
US riotsReuters

The New York City Fire Department has banned police from using hoses to control riots, the New York Post reported.

The order, issued Friday, "expressly prohibits" using hoses against violent crowds, claiming that "while the vast majority of these (protests) in NYC have not involved the response of the FDNY, there is the potential for civil unrest, or acts of violence causing immediate danger to our members."

The site quoted Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro, who warned that "the use of hoselines … is for protection against sabotage (i.e. Molotov cocktail), and for fire extinguishment purposes only. It has been the Department’s longstanding practice that hoselines should not be used in any offensive or defensive manner against people."

"Instances of firefighters coming under attacks from hostile crowds in New York City are rare," the New York Post quoted an FDNY member as saying.

The site noted that the New York Police Department has a "disorder control unit" with water cannons which can be used to disperse violent rioters.

Israeli Police routinely uses hoses to control crowds of protesters as seen during the recent political protests in Jerusalem.