Advice given after Petworth driver blocks 999 call-out

Petworth firefighters are urging drivers to consider where they park after being blocked from getting through a road when attending an incident last week.

The crew had been called Grove Lane on Thursday evening (December 9) but were blocked ‘inconsiderate’ driver.

Anthony Wills, station manager for Petworth Fire Station, said: “Across the county we are seeing more and more instances of fire crews facing difficulty when getting to incidents due to careless parking on the roads, and in these circumstances crews must try and manoeuvre round parked vehicles or change their routes.

“On this occasion the incident turned out to be a false alarm, but a delay of this nature could be the difference between life and death for someone in your community, and for us as emergency services, every second counts when getting to the scene.

“Some of our fire engines are around one-and-a-half widths of a standard car, so we would really urge people to think about the positioning of their cars when parking as it really could save a life.”

Tips for parking safely:

- Park close to the curb

- Park straight with wheels straight

- Fold in wing mirrors

- In narrow streets only park on one side of the road

- Obey the Highway Code and road markings

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

- Leave extra room at tight junctions

- Ask yourself – ‘Could I get through this space?’. If not, a fire engine probably couldn't either.