How frustrating is it when you go to leave the house, and someone has parked across your drive? Or you are leaving the shops, and somebody has blocked you in? But forget frustrating, what if your parking was actually putting lives at risk?

Under the Fire & Rescue Services Act, it is illegal to obstruct a Fire Hydrant. This includes parking over or even too close to a hydrant.

You can park your vehicle up to 50cm from a Fire Hydrant as long as there are no other parking restrictions. However, it is always best to leave as much room as you can to allow the fire brigade maximum access.

In an emergency, every second counts!

In an emergency, if someone’s vehicle has blocked a hydrant, it means the fire brigade’s nearest supply of water is blocked and the next nearest one could be several roads away. Remember; every second counts.

Blocking Fire Hydrants is not the only issue. Double parking, parked vehicles on junctions and just poor parking in general makes it difficult for the fire bridge to reach incidents as quickly and efficiently as they can. This means slowing down to get through small gaps or turning around and finding an alternative route which adds vital minutes on their journey. This can be the difference between life and death.