Kettering fire engine route blocked by 'inconsiderate parking' on Headlands

Firefighters in the appliance were just metres from their Headlands HQ when they had to stop for a time to wait for vehicles to be moved.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service urged motorists to not block or delay emergency services attending an incident.

He said: “Today (January 22) one of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue’s Kettering appliances was very briefly held up on Headlands in Kettering.

“The appliance was not heading to an emergency and was only kept waiting in the road for a short time. The crew were not on their way to an incident at the time.

“While no harm was done on this occasion, inconsiderate parking can significantly delay our response to fires and other emergencies.

“Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service always ask drivers to think carefully about where they have parked and consider whether they have left sufficient room for emergency services vehicles to get past.”

A standard Scania fire appliance is approximately 2.6 metres wide by 8 metres long and requires more space to manoeuvre than many people realise.

NFRS suggest sticking to the following guidelines to avoid blocking or delaying the emergency services attending an incident:

- Do not park in front of emergency service access points

- Do not park in front of fire stations

- Do not park over, or too near to hydrants

- Obey the Highway Code and road markings such as yellow lines and box junctions

- Park as close to the kerb as possible

- Park straight with wheels straight and fold in mirrors

- In narrow streets only park on one side of the road, unless there are official parking spaces

- Do not park too close to corners or traffic calming measures

- Leave extra room at tight junctions

The spokesman added: “Please remember that every second counts when someone calls the emergency services.”