FIREFIGHTERS are urging residents living in dead-end streets to avoid parking on the road – an action they say may just save lives.
Upwey Fire Brigade captain Paul Mather said it wasn’t uncommon to see cars parked along and at the end of streets in turning bays designed for trucks to make u-turns safely.
He said many local residents were getting complacent and parking their cars there, which provided an enormous obstacle for fire-fighters who needed to get their trucks out in a hurry.
“When a vehicle is parked in the turning bay, our members are exposed to greater risks by having to reverse the appliance out instead of turning around,” he said.
“This can also lead to greatly reduced response times when responding to an incident which in turn can place greater risks on people’s lives who may be requiring urgent assistance.
“It is also forcing us to seek alternative routes which also impacts on our fire suppression and rescue efforts.”
Mr Mather said residents needed to remember that fire-fighting vehicles were a lot larger than normal vehicles, about three metres wide and close to eight metres long, so a lot more room was required to manoeuvre the vehicles.
With the Yarra Ranges area being especially hilly, he said fire-fighters wouldn’t even have the option to use someone’s driveway.
“It is dangerous for emergency vehicles to reverse out along roads for excessive distances, particularly when there are turning bays developed for the purpose of turning vehicles around,” he said.
“We can’t turn a truck in someone’s driveway because it’s too steep, so it’s fraught with a lot of danger.”
Mr Mather has issued a plea to residents to take safety into consideration and park their cars elsewhere.
“Please consider the additional risks you are placing on yourself, your neighbours and the members of our brigade and keep turning bays clear at all times,” he said.
“The critical few minutes we take could mean the difference between saving someone’s life.”
