LAST EDITED ON 02-19-13 AT 08:41 PM (EST)... once a team has declared they are taking the penalty and have been given the clue, rules say they cannot change their mind or go back to the challenge.
This from a Q-and-A session with Phil on Twitter:
So that's that. The firefighters were outta luck when they kept tipping over while the other teams managed to get through.
More tidbits from Phil on last night's episode...