NORRISTOWN, Pa. (WLVT) – Norristown has about 400 fire hydrants strategically placed around the city. Unfortunately, many of them are placed in prime parking locations.
That’s a problem for the Norristown Fire Department.
“Vehicles are carelessly parked in front of fire hydrants, blocking our access,” said Norristown Fire Chief Thomas O’Donnell.
It’s a chronic issue, he said. Three significant fires in the past few months involving four blocked fire hydrants. Firefighters responded to a deck fire Jan. 19 on the 1600 block of Colleen Ct., but were unable to use the nearby fire hydrant because a car was blocking access to it.
“The vehicle was so close that the vehicle driver either had to climb out the passenger side door to get out or had to squeeze between the fire hydrant and his driver’s side door to get out of the vehicle,” O’Donnell said.
The car was ticketed and towed, and firefighters thankfully were able to put out the fire without using the hydrant. But 10 days later, a Facebook tip alerted the fire department that the same vehicle was parked blocking the same fire hydrant.
Parking is tight on the block, according to neighbors, so it’s a constant fight to find a space.
“I can understand if in this weather, if it’s blistering cold, people don’t like to walk far distances. If I see a spot, I take one, too,” said Colleen Ct. resident Gabby Stacy. “But I can see both sides of it.”
Even so, Stacy said the fire on her street did wake her up to the possibility that it could happen anywhere.
“In all honesty, if my house were on fire, I’d be pissed at someone parking in front of my fire hydrant, too,” she said. “I don’t want to make enemies, but at the same time, I understand the safety of it all, and that, to me, is just as important as everyone’s convenience.”
The Fire Department reiterated safety should always trump convenience, so starting this month, authorities are cracking down on violators.
In Pennsylvania, it’s illegal to stand or park a vehicle within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. This month alone, law enforcement have already ticketed dozens of cars, with 19 cars needing to be towed.
“The message is real simple,” O’Donnell said. “Don’t park in front of the fire hydrants. They weren’t placed there for residents to park in front of. They were placed there as a tool for the fire department to use in the case of a fire.”
Hydrants serve a valuable purpose. Fire trucks do carry a limited amount of water, but when that runs out, they need to connect to a fire hydrant as a secondary source. A house fire, for example, could easily use up the 500 gallons of water that an average fire truck carries.
“We need as much water available as possible,” O’Donnell said. “That’s why these fire hydrants are put here.”
Fines for parking in front of a hydrant vary between municipalities, but in Norristown it currently earns you impounding fees plus a ticket of $28. O’Donnell said he plans to ask Norristown’s Municipal Council to raise that fine to $70.
Meanwhile, he said, residents should begin practicing better parking habits—because in the end, not blocking fire hydrants is helping protect the people around you.
