Parking a squad-car in a fire lane.....for coffee?

[Hozr]

No they should not park there. I need a Bee Line to Starbys in the morning and that's where the engine goes.

Silly cops, there's better parking at the donut shop anyways! :P

[ledman]

I say they can park wherever they want. Like someone mentioned...if they get a Code 3, would they not want there car as close as possible? LEO's have a tough job, so they park for 5-10 minutes to get some coffe. Don't you think, if there was a call for a fire...that they would be one of the first ones to know other than the FD? Not like they can't move their cars.
I see no issues with it...only when civilians do it and get away with it due to ignorance/laziness, that irks me.

[9mmepiphany]

i've done it and it is an easy access thing, i'm not really off-duty during my coffee break or lunch...i've gone many shifts without lunch, it's just part of the job. if there are other open spots just as close, i'll park there, but i'm not going to run down the block to my squad car if a hot call comes it.

the other thing to consider is that we need to keep an eye on the vehicle so folks aren't tampering with it. and before you ask, yes i check all around it when i've been out of the vehicle before i get in and start it

[fullrearview]

i've done it and it is an easy access thing, i'm not really off-duty during my coffee break or lunch...i've gone many shifts without lunch, it's just part of the job. if there are other open spots just as close, i'll park there, but i'm not going to run down the block to my squad car if a hot call comes it.

the other thing to consider is that we need to keep an eye on the vehicle so folks aren't tampering with it. and before you ask, yes i check all around it when i've been out of the vehicle before i get in and start it

I was going to say this.....But I still try not to do it.

[Twist18]

Always makes me laugh when they pull up with the biggest engine to get some burritos -

Ummm, they kind of have to take the truck when they run errands......in case they get a call while they're out.

[sar_man]

Back when I worked on a private ambulance that was the 911 provider we got a ticket from a local cop for parking in the red zone in front of the grocery store. The other cops were not happy when they hear about. Ironically I had to responde to treat him when he was bumped by a car and nocked over. It came out as a officer down. As you can guess we did low level flight to get there to find he had basically fallen.

[destro360]

i can understand a large busy parking lot in a major city but i have seen empty parking lots or close to it, in small towns where the local pd and ambulance park in handicap etc just to grab coffee or snacks... to me silly when they are only saving two or three steps compared to the legal space next to them, but to these types i dont think think it really matters.

[Jonathan Doe]

This. Just because a cop is getting code 7 doesn't mean the entire world stops turning. That's why cops get paid during their lunch breaks, because it's not guaranteed .

We never had a paid lunch time. We worked 8 hour shifts, not 8 1/2 hours. We had to find the time to eat some time during the shift. I used to get the food to go and ate on the hood at a kind of secluded location. I don't know how many times I have tossed the lunch on a emergency calls, many times after only one bite.

[GUNNER45]

If they were getting coffe for the office, get a parking space.

[oldsmoboat]

Where do they expect us Firefighters to park when we stop for coffee?

My brother is a firefighter and told me this:
What do firefighters and cops have in common? They both wanted to be firefighters. (I am not bashing, feel free to make a Caltrans joke)

Back on topic. Personally, I have no problem with them doing this. If they have to respond to an emergency call, their vehicle should be as close as possible.

[FLIGHT762]

I never parked my patrol car illegally to get coffee, lunch or on an errand. It sets a bad example.

One day an out of town patrol car parked in a red zone and fire hydrant zone. Parking there made it difficult for cars making a right turn and it also was a vision safety zone. It was in front of a Starbucks and I enforced the parking violations heavily there since it was a very busy downtown area. I drove past and asked the Officers to move thier car. One of them got PO'ed. They got into thier car and made a beeline to my supervisor to complain about me.

There just happened to be one of our Officers in the Starbucks at the time. He later told me a customer came up to him after seeing me ask the Officers to move and said he appreciated the local Officer (me) for being fair to everyone and having the Officers move their car.

I did meet up with my supervisor with the other Officers we all hashed out why I had asked them to leave.

If an Officer is on a call for service, you park where you have to.

I don't like a double standard. It sets a bad example and people are out there watching.

[Jonathan Doe]

My brother is a firefighter and told me this:
What do firefighters and cops have in common? They both wanted to be firefighters. (I am not bashing, feel free to make a Caltrans joke)

If I ever have another chance, I will be a fireman. They are liked more than cops. And, they only work about 10 days a month. Can sleep on duty, have a recliner chairs and nice TV at the station...Overall, they have a better life than cops.

[FLIGHT762]

If I ever have another chance, I will be a fireman. They are liked more than cops. And, they only work about 10 days a week. Can sleep on duty, have a recliner chairs and nice TV at the station...Overall, they have a better life than cops.

In my next life, I will be a Fireman.

[oldsmoboat]

You don't want to come back out and find something like this...

[Doheny]

I'll have my engineer (the driver) park our fire engine in the fire lane if their is nowhere else to park within a reasonable distance. When we do park in parking spots, we end up taking four of them due to the size of the rig and ensuring that we're positioned where no one can block us in.