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Plea for drivers to not park over fire hydrants

Kris HollandNorthamptonshire
News imageNorthamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service A man kneeling down, wearing a yellow high-vis outfit, and inspecting a hydrant which has been parked over by a blue car.Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was seeing more instances of hydrants being blocked off by cars

Motorists have been urged to save firefighters "vital minutes" by not parking over fire hydrants.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) said the sight of cars parked over hydrants, blocking access to crucial water supply, was an increasingly common sight.

NFRS said crews needed to access hydrants so they could connect to a water supply, enabling them to refill fire engines or access additional water.

Hydrants on the ground are often sprayed yellow, and a yellow H-sign on a street will indicate where the nearest hydrant is.

Reece Aberdeen-Roberts, from NFRS, said the next closest hydrant can sometimes be 300m (984ft) away.

"So it can really delay us when we're tackling a fire," he said.

"It might cause some inconvenience for people, but if you can find an alternative parking space that doesn't block a hydrant then you can spare us vital minutes during an incident – which can potentially save a life."

News imageNorthamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service Close-up of a yellow fire hydrant marker post labelled ‘H 100 / 1’ next to a metal street drain on a paved surface.Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service
Yellow H signs on a street will often indicate where the nearest hydrant is.

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