Firefighters warn bad parking blocks routes

Seconds count in emergencies, a senior firefighter has said, as he warned that parked cars were blocking access to incidents.

Assistant district commander Dan Butterfield said West Yorkshire Fire Service crews "would always reach scenes" but that "seconds and minutes count in emergencies".

He said firefighters were seeing a rise in problems with parked cars blocking their routes as they responded to 999 calls.

"You might not think that parking responsibly can help somebody in an emergency but the reality is it can," Mr Butterfield added.

Recent dashcam footage from fire engines showed the difficulties crews had faced while responding to emergencies as they tired to reach people who may need their help.

The footage, released in partnership with Leeds City Council, included cars parked on grass verges and narrow roads.

Fire engines were forced to find alternative routes to emergency scenes.

Mr Butterfield said: "Our appliances are big, whether they are fire engines or trucks, they need space to be able to go to emergencies."

He said every incident firefighters responded to under blue lights was serious.

"It could be life and death for an individual, it could be a small fire growing.

"Time is critical.

"When there are emergencies, minutes, seconds count."

Jonathan Pryor, deputy leader of Leeds City Council, said irresponsible parking was both a problem for emergency services and a safety issue for pedestrians.

He said the issue also affected schools: “We want Leeds to be the best city for all young people to grow up in and ensuring a safer journey to school is a key part of that."

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