City transportation worker learns firsthand why you shouldn't park next to a hydrant
By adamg - 8/29/09 - 9:11 am
It makes it more difficult for the firefighters to hook up a hose to put out your car's engine fire:
The Universal Hub Eye in the Sky captured the scene around 9:25 this morning involving a Boston Transportation Department supervisor doing prep work for the Kennedy motorcade at Huntington and St. Alphonsus and firefighters trying to extinguish the fire in his car.
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Comments
Park where you bail out
If my car was on fire, I don't think I would worry too much where I parked it so long as I could escape safely (and not blow up anybody else).
It looks like he pulled over, bailed out, and called 911. Can't fault that.
auto fires are also usually
auto fires are also usually just extinguished with the smaller hose run run from the fire engine which has a large 500-700 gallon water tank, not from a line drawn from a hydrant
He was already parked by the hydrant when the car caught fire.
He was already parked by the hydrant when the car caught fire.
Looks far enough to me
but maybe I need to go back to driving school.
Too Close.
The actual distance is 10 ft away on either side of the hydrant.
They may have had enough room to use the hydrant, but (1) it would place the engine too close the fire and (2) the areas front and rear of a vehicle fire are dangerous due to exploding gas pistons behind the bumpers.
The 500 or 800 gallons in the tank are usually more than enough for a passenger vehicle on fire.