I wasn’t thinking about Parking in front of a hydrant, but in a fire lane set up to allow access to a business from the curb. Breaking the windows of the car in that newscast was definitely the right thing to do, and no amount of explanation by the car’s owner would get him anywhere but a bigger fine.
Ken Green ,I agree-but the owner should get a hefty fine and have to take a class on consideration or something similar
There is something else I find odd,all Hydrants are not the same thread-why is this? I can see the manus doing this on cars,but looks to me like all firefighting equipment should should have a standard hookup-Kevin
Took a Citizens Public Safety class co-sponsored by County Police and my fire district two different times some years ago. Questions about cars blocking fire hydrants, fire lanes, or the street came up. Answer: firefighters will do whatever is quickest way to gain access to a fire scene and deploy needed equipment. Seconds literally count and can make the difference in life or death and/or how much a fire spreads. Usually the fastest way to lay hose from a blocked fire hydrant is to break out windows and pass the hose through. If, on the other hand, when pulling up on scene it is faster to basically bulldoze a car out of the way, then that is what is done. It isn’t about any type of macho authority power trip, it is about saving critical seconds in deploying needed fire equipment in whatever manner and conformation is needed. Same thing with fire lanes in front of commercial structures. Whatever it takes to clear needed access for fire equipment the quickest.
If you’ve watched firemen running into a fully engulfed neighbor’s house to rescue pet animals and verify all the children were accounted for or lived across the street from a house fully involved with flames shooting 30 feet out the roof on a windy day or lived in the path of a rapidly advancing prairie fire, then you’ll appreciate how firefighters value the importance of every second of time in deploying equipment as needed as swiftly as possible.
" Usually the fastest way to lay hose from a blocked fire hydrant is to break out windows and pass the hose through".
I appreciate seeing that as much as anyone does but I don’t see how breaking windows in a car and threading the hose through would be faster than laying the hose over the car.
@JoeGuy
The other guys all said that the fire hose has to be as straight as possible, in relation to the hydrant
If the hose is layed over the car, that might not be the case, depending on how close the car is to the hydrant
That might be correct but if that’s the case wouldn’t it be quicker to slide the hose under a car?
I suspect the decision in some cases is based on the firefighters having the right to legally smash a car that’s illegally parked.
But I could be wrong…
P.S. My brother was a fire chief for over 30 years. What’s the significance? To protect his integrity I can’t say whether he ever agreed with me on anything… : )
Bing I always knew that cold versus hot tire temperatures could vary by a few PSI. When my first vehicle with TPMS which does not indicate the offending tire illuminated when the temperature dropped below freezing I had my trusted tire shop check it out. All 4 tires were equal and they declared it normal. They added a couple PSI to turn off the light and called it good. They suggested I return when temperatures reached 70+ to insure the tires were not then overinflated.
Kink a garden hose and you get the same effect.
TwinTurbo Thank you for agreeing with my post(s). Vehicles parked in fire zones or blocking a hydrant can be cited or possibly towed. I was addressing an actual fire with lives of victims and/or firefighter at risk. Seconds count. Fire is a force that has no mercy and can have many surprises. Sliding a hose under a vehicle parked at a curb will not work. Throwing a hose over a vehicle costs seconds and slightly degrades pressure. It’s that gravity thing. Rollers under the tires works great in a shop. Using them at an actual fire would cost several minutes. I don’t see how those who could find themselves overcome and unconscious by smoke or trapped by fire would condone those trying to rescue them. I can not understand sympathy for the owners of these illegally parked and damaged vehicles. I doubt if their insurance companies would have any. Vehicles are just stuff! I AM NOT A FIREFIGHTER but I know quite a few. I do have many hours of training in military and OSHA fire safety training. Have I made myself clear on this subject? If anyone disagrees please post.
Marnet Thank you.
Just saying its not all black and white. At the building I was at for 20 years, the fire lane was in the back of the building, kind of like an alley. On the many occasions when the fire trucks responded due to false alarms or whatever, they always parked in the front of the building and blocked traffic. They didn’t want to drive down the alley. It really depends on a lot of things and the building location and various access points. So a fire lane thats never used by the fire department really isn’t a fire lane anymore. Now if you have a building set in from the street, its a little more important to have a road back to the building and keep it clear for emergency vehicles.
@Bing
The first response is always a check to verify if the alarm is real and if there is actually a fire. That’s why they pull up out front and block traffic. You can bet if they discover there actually is a fire, they will re-position the gear where it is most needed and they aren’t going to pussy foot around then.
I happen to work in a building that has at least one fire alarm go off every 6 months. Some are real, most are false alarms. Their initial response is always the same. They stop out front to gauge the situation, then if needed, they swing into high gear and all bets are off. I’ve seen them move vehicles and they do not mess around. Naturally, they try to minimize damage but if it needs to be moved, it will be.
So a fire lane thats never used by the fire department really isn’t a fire lane anymore
Fortunately, most fire lanes never get used. So, it would be easy to dismiss their importance until the day comes when they are needed…
This photo appears to show that kinks in the hose were not an issue in this case…
If they have a real emergency, I don’t think they want to send an advance crew out first to scope the situation, then call in or reposition to fight a fire. Especially when fires can get out of control in a few minutes.
In our building, the evacuation route was out the front. Due to retaining walls, all exits had to funnel back to the front steps, then people had to cross the street to the lawn area. Evacuating through the back where the fire lane was, was not possible due to a retaining wall and having to walk down the alley. Now we could evacuate six floors in a couple minutes but would cause mass confusion and congestion with the fire engines parked right in the way of the exit.
Well, not going to argue with you Bing. I respect your regular participation on the forum and know that I am merely a “hanger on” around here with no mechanical knowledge. That’s why I hang around, so I can learn. Regarding how firefighters handle vehicles blocking fire hydrants and fire lanes, we shall just have to agree to disagree. What you know from your relationship to a career firefighter and what I’ve always been told by the multiple firefighters I know seem to differ. Perhaps different practices and attitudes for different geographical areas.
Am I missing something or does the above pic seem to show an unnecessary routing of the hose through the car windows (to make a point, perhaps)?
Some folks like a little “vandalfest” from time to time,Why?.just because.Reminds me of when that Guy rammed his dodge ram into a little Veloster after the kid left the playground(which was horrible) but the fact was the guy was a vigilante after the fact(the police were there,I dont know if he got charged or not,but if he had killed that 14 yr old kid driving his Grandads car,I expect he would be serving time.it doesnt pay to be a bully,just because you can-Kevin
Yah, I think they were just being bullies there. The true path of least resistance for that hose would have been UNDER the car !
The unknown in that pic is whether or not there is pressure in that hose at the time the pic was taken. That kink may go away with pressure applied.
Was pressure present?