New York driver finds out the hard way that you shouldn't park next to a fire hydrant

This New York driver found out the hard way that you shouldn’t park next to a fire hydrant.

When the fire department showed up to tackle a blaze, they found a car parked fairly close to the hydrant.

One of the firefighters smashed the vehicle’s windows and ran the hose through the car in order to access the hydrant’s water.

As clips of the scene went online, it led to a lot of divided opinions.

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This New York driver learned a hard lesson about parking next to a fire hydrant

When fighting a fire, every second counts.

That’s why it’s so important that fire hydrants are left unobstructed, to allow for fire crews to have immediate access.

But in the Bronx, one New York driver didn’t keep this in mind – and ended up with his windows being smashed in.

In footage shared online, a firefighter crew was shown pulling up to the scene of a blaze that had engulfed several businesses.

They needed to attach their hose to the nearest hydrant, but a car was parked in the way.

Showing little hesitation, one firefighter smashed the car’s windows and ran the hose through.

The clip was shared on Instagram by Chief_Miller, which warned:

“Your convenience isn’t worth delaying a vital rescue operation.”

However, viewers were left divided on how the firefighter conducted himself.

Some spoke in support of his actions.

“The water pressure is high from a fire hydrant, the tube needs to be stable and can’t be in front of the car (because of the curve) or in the back (same reason),” one viewer commented.

“That was a good move for everyone’s safety. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Water speed and pressure need straight lines, not angles – this is the reason why the car shouldn’t be there,” another said.

However, there were plenty who took the opposite stance.

“This was so unnecessary,” one person fumed.

“They just wanted to teach that person a lesson,” a fellow commenter opined.

Firefighters have to make tough decisions all the time – but their job is so important

As stated on the New York City Department of Transportation website, this car was parked illegally.

The site reads:

“It is illegal to park within 15 feet of either side of a fire hydrant, including on floating parking lanes (next to protected bike lanes).”

And as if that wasn’t enough, Inside Edition reported that this was the driver’s 33rd fire hydrant violation over a two-year period.

That’s the equivalent of $9,255 in fines.

If thousands in fines and smashed windows aren’t enough of a deterrent, we don’t know what is.

Firefighters play a very important role in society, and they often have to make tough calls, like in this case.

But it’s not all putting out fires – they’re also earning praise for freeing cats from engine bays.

And overseas, they’re saving drivers who took a risk with their Mercedes-Benz.

It’s a stressful job.

But, there are ways to unwind – one retired fire chief in California has taken to collecting classic cars in his downtime.

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