Firefighters Smash Windows of BMW Parked in Front of Hydrant

Robert59

Robert59

Well-known Member
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Now I live in Tennesee. Did live in Michigan.
  • A 2005 BMW 5-series parked in the way of firefighters at a hydrant got its windows smashed out so they could run their giant high-pressure hose right through the car.
  • The owner told the New York Post he's stressed, but, well, he did leave his car in front of a hydrant for four days.
  • This is absolutely not the first time firefighters have performed this maneuver. It's common enough that it was in the movie Backdraft, and you can find plenty of other examples online—but even so, there seems to be a bit of trend going on with BMW drivers parking in front of hydrants. Draw your own conclusions.

https://autos.yahoo.com/firefighters-smash-windows-bmw-parked-213000442.html
 

Judging by the photo, I see the firefighters actions as being purely driven to prove a point, because they could.

I don't believe for a second that they had to do what they did.

And yes, shame on the owner of the vehicle for blocking access to a fire hydrant, just as shame on the firefighters for reducing themselves to an even lower level than the owner of the auto.
 
I put this in in the "dog bites man" news catagory. This is what firemen do. As far as I know, this is a common response under these circumstances, I've known of this happening different places. It might even be a more common occurrence except in some places the car would have been towed before 4 days had lapsed?
 
Aunt Marg said:
Judging by the photo, I see the firefighters actions as being purely driven to prove a point, because they could.

I don't believe for a second that they had to do what they did.

And yes, shame on the owner of the vehicle for blocking access to a fire hydrant, just as shame on the firefighters for reducing themselves to an even lower level than the owner of the auto.
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Yes and no. I think because of the angle invovled there was less bend in the hose they way they did it. High pressure hoses and kinks or bends don't get along. Their priority is to put out the fire not keep someone's car damage free. Also there were 2 hoses hooked up. That's not exactly a small fire they were fighting

Believe or not broken windows in many cars are cheaper to repair than body damage. I recently had a window replaced and some estimates on less damage than what's on the front end of that driver's car now(scuffs, scrapes after someone backed into my front end). Side window replacement$175, Repair body damage $800.

In the end it's about parking in front of a fire hydrant. Driver hopefully learned his lesson.
 
Aunt Marg said:
Judging by the photo, I see the firefighters actions as being purely driven to prove a point, because they could.

I don't believe for a second that they had to do what they did.

And yes, shame on the owner of the vehicle for blocking access to a fire hydrant, just as shame on the firefighters for reducing themselves to an even lower level than the owner of the auto.
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Totally agree with all you said.
 
when fireman arrive, there blood is up, they do not have time to fiddle around...

they are not concerned with public relations, not concerned with the car owner, there only concerned with the fire.

If you want sweet things, call social workers, have them cruise around finding cars parked by fire hydrants, then do their social worker thing

that is a 4 inch line running through the car-meaning it was a good sized fire

consider if it were your home
 
Seems to me the make, year, and model of the car is pretty irrelevant. Wouldn't the police have done the same thing to any car parked in front of a fire hydrant?
 
Where I currently live, there are a lot of special people. They park where ever they please. This is poetic justice.
 
Sunny said:
Seems to me the make, year, and model of the car is pretty irrelevant. Wouldn't the police have done the same thing to any car parked in front of a fire hydrant?
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LOL. "Rich Man/Poor Man bigotry. Common in the human species.
The "Haves" hate the "Have Nots."
 
Aunt Marg said:
Judging by the photo, I see the firefighters actions as being purely driven to prove a point, because they could.

I don't believe for a second that they had to do what they did.

And yes, shame on the owner of the vehicle for blocking access to a fire hydrant, just as shame on the firefighters for reducing themselves to an even lower level than the owner of the auto.
Click to expand...
This reminds me of situations I often witness while driving. The light turns green & a driver doesn't immediately go & the driver behind starts honking immediately. I often notice lots of white hair on the driver in front, indicating that they are elderly & have slower reaction times & vision that is not good.
The honking fools don't have the intelligence to realize that they may be elderly some day & they also won't be as swift.
Sometimes, there is an explanation for someone's actions & it's not always a matter of inconsideration or selfishness.
The driver who parked in front of the hydrant may not have noticed the hydrant & may also have forgotten to check for a "No Parking" sign due to their age.
And the brand of car has nothing to do with it. I personally know several elderly people in their mid 80's who drive a Lexus, a new Mercedes & a BMW.
 
I have a feeling that if it was an old jalopy, people would be complaining that "if this was a fancy Mercedes or BMW, you can bet they wouldn't be treating it this way. They are discriminating against a car owner who is poor."

Anyone who knowingly parks in front of a fire hydrant is a selfish jerk. But is this really an appropriate way to implement the law? What happened to the idea of a big fat hefty parking ticket? Or is the idea that a rich person wouldn't care about a parking ticket, no matter how expensive? So let's damage their precious car instead.

The whole thing sounds pretty childish.
 
responses to thread make sense, then don't. make sense, then not-some do this in the same post-take a stance, stay there
 
win231 said:
This reminds me of situations I often witness while driving. The light turns green & a driver doesn't immediately go & the driver behind starts honking immediately. I often notice lots of white hair on the driver in front, indicating that they are elderly & have slower reaction times & vision that is not good.
The honking fools don't have the intelligence to realize that they may be elderly some day & they also won't be as swift.
Sometimes, there is an explanation for someone's actions & it's not always a matter of inconsideration or selfishness.
The driver who parked in front of the hydrant may not have noticed the hydrant & may also have forgotten to check for a "No Parking" sign due to their age.
And the brand of car has nothing to do with it. I personally know several elderly people in their mid 80's who drive a Lexus, a new Mercedes & a BMW.
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I've witnessed the same and always feel for those involved (on the receiving end).

As for the car windows being broken out, the vehicle could have been a gold-plated Rolls Royce or an old rusted-out jalopy, and it still would have raised my ire.

My thoughts were along the same lines as yours, and knowing how hard average people work to buy things, it just hit me the wrong way to see someone's property being damaged, and so needlessly as far as I can see.

Doesn't speak highly as to how and where society is going these days.
 
jerry old said:
when fireman arrive, there blood is up, they do not have time to fiddle around...

they are not concerned with public relations, not concerned with the car owner, there only concerned with the fire.

If you want sweet things, call social workers, have them cruise around finding cars parked by fire hydrants, then do their social worker thing

that is a 4 inch line running through the car-meaning it was a good sized fire

consider if it were your home
Click to expand...
It would have taken less time (or at least the same time) to get the hose around the car. It probably took more time to break both windows & drag the hose through the car. But the firemen had more fun teaching the driver a lesson & laughing about it later.
 
Did a little checking on this subject because I had some time on my hands. Pandemic, you know. 'Nuff said on that score.

From what I've learned, it's crucial to keep fire hoses as straight as possible to achieve maximum water pressure. Must have been a big fire because they're already using another outlet on the same hydrant.

Hefty tickets get issued for this, AND insurance companies won't pay for the damage. Woe to the person who file lawsuits on FDs over this. Apparently judges have a rather universal habit of not looking kindly on people who park illegally or otherwise impede FD and EMT responders from doing their jobs.

Golly gee willikers, wouldn't it be swell if someone thought to paint fire hydrants so that they don't blend in with the sidewalk? That way people would know not to park in front of them...
 

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