Motorists have been urged to think twice about where they park their cars after a fire engine was nearly left stuck by one inconsiderate driver.
A fire engine from Stapleford fire station was forced to perform a tricky manoeuvre around a parked car yesterday, and the station has warned that obstructions could impede a fire engine getting to an emergency.
On their Facebook page the station wrote: “We had to deal with some challenging parking while leaving this Stapleford school this morning. Our top driver did it in the end, but it did delay us significantly. Think as you park, could a fire engine get through? You never know when you might need us….. And need us quickly.”
Stapleford Fire Station was visiting William Lilley Infant and Nursery School, on Halls Road, for its summer fair, talking about fire safety and allowing the children to look around a fire engine but their exit was blocked by a car parked on yellow zig zag lines.
Station watch manager Ray Burton said: “We’d been keeping an eye out on the gates because they were meant to be left clear for us and we had to move two cars during the fair.
“When we came to leave the event to go to our next one we couldn’t get out.”
Ray said that when no one returned to the car the fire engine driver had to make something like a 28 point turn, taking them 15 minutes to get out.
It’s not the first time the crew has had to deal with obstructions, however, and Ray added that it is a struggle for other emergency services too.
“Most houses were built before people had a car but most have got one or two cars. People double park all the way down lots of streets in Stapleford and sometimes we have to turn around and go alternative ways.
“People don’t realise how long and wide the fire engine is.
“If that was an emergency call you can imagine someone could have been dead.”
In reply to the social media post, Sarah Halpin said : “Zig zag lines are there for a reason, school day or not! Even more annoying is there is a car park about 200 metres from the school!”
Nicole Edwards added: “Great driving, I never thought you’d squeeze through that tiny gap!!”
Original source: Nottingham Post