Here is what can happen if you park in front of a fire hydrant. A 5 inch hose under pressure cannot make a sharp bend and it is HEAVY. If the hose was put on the roof of the car it might not make the bend and could put a major dent in the roof. The side connections to the hydrant are 2 inch vs 5 inch and have a much lower flow rate. In a structure fire you need as much water as possible.
I have seen similar photos. I have no sympathy.
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Happened in Boston at a Brown Stone fire a few years ago. Some Bimmer owner decided he was more important. Smashed his windows, and he got a good size ticket. Then vehicle was then towed.
Unfortunately with this fire a fireman was killed. Pretty sure it had nothing to do with the Bimmer, but still tragic.
They deserve what they got!
You don’t want windows broken out, don’t park in front of a hydrant. So simple, even a simpleton could understand it!
Some people think they’re more important then others. They feel they have a RIGHT to do what they want.
My neighbor is a volunteer fireman and we do have a hydrant sandwiched between our front entrances.
I always joke to him that every time it snows, he starts from cleaning that hydrant area (which indeed he does, for the reason of preventing snowplow from piling snow atop it).
He told before that in his squad they discussed what they would do if they had car parked like this, and their unanimous decision was “to break glass and put the hose through the moment we arrive” 
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Well, then, the firemen have a RIGHT to ventilate their car! 
With RIGHTS come RESPONSIBILITY
broken glass is probably better (cheaper) than a crushed roof
Might be hard to see in this pic but for 8 years I was unable to park in front of my porch. And I had to mow around the thing.
Homeowner’s insurance companies should give a discount on the annual premium if you have a hydrant directly in front of your house. In these parts the hydrant is located in the devil strip area, rather than on the front lawn.
Many insurance companies have a surcharge if the hydrant is more than 1,000 feet from your house. Typical apparatus has 1,000 feet of supply line (4 or 5 inch hose). If you have to drop more than 1,000 feet, trucks are daisy chained, takes time to set it up. Real PITA to roll and re pack afterwards. @George_San_Jose1, I thought devil strip was a mid west term, I think you are on the west coast.
re: “devil strip”
It’s not commonly used here in San Jose. I heard it I guess when I lived in Colorado.
I’m West coast. I’ve always heard it called a “Parking Strip” which I never understood. I’ve never seen anyone parking on it.
If you are talking about the area between the sidewalk and the curb, I have never heard any term for it.
He-he… Nop, George, every time I jokingly ask for that, they don’t 
In my (Wash. DC) neighborhood people park in front of hydrants overnight all the time.
They get away with it because the parking enforcement officers can’t see the hydrant when they drive by.
I think they should paint a special symbol in the middle of the street where there’s a hydrant to point out the scofflaws.
Here they use a reflector square but it’s purpose is making it easier for firefighters to locate hydrants. I can’t remember the last time I saw a vehicle blocking one.
They do. And I pay more because there is no water supply within 2 miles of my house.
As a midwest native, that strip of grass was called the “tree lawn”
They wouldn’t get away with that here. We have long orange poles attached to our hydrants so you can find them after the snow plow buries them. The bonus to that is no one can hide a hydrant behind their car and get away with anything.