PARKED cars that impede emergency access to property have prompted the Island’s first Park Smart campaign.

Launched by the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service today (September 14), Park Smart aims to highlight problems resulting from inappropriate and inconsiderate, as well as illegal, parking.

Fire crews recently attended a house fire where fire appliances could not get near to the property involved due to parked vehicles.

Station Officer Carl Kinvig explained: ‘Vehicles that sometimes block emergency access are not always illegally parked, and they might have left enough room for a car to get past, but of course a fire appliance or ambulance is considerably bigger. We want people to consider the implications of where they leave their vehicle – it might be their property that emergency crews have problems reaching!’

The Park Smart campaign is designed to make people think about how and where they park their car.

Chris Halsall, who is officer in charge of White Watch, is all too familiar with the problem. He said: ‘There is nothing more exasperating than being prevented from doing your job by something as easily avoidable as parked cars blocking your route. Ultimately lives can be put in danger.’

Sub Officer Peter Killey who is part of the Risk Reduction Team added: ‘The campaign has come about as part of partnership working, in particular with the Douglas Community Safety Partnership, to address incidents that have occurred in Douglas. However, the problem isn’t just associated with Douglas, but is an Island-wide problem.’

Consequently the Park Smart campaign will be run Island wide. Fire safety officers will be distributing posters and leaflets to highlight the potential problems of poor parking.

The Park Smart campaign has the support of the Department of Home Affairs. Political Member with responsibility for the Fire and Rescue Service, George Waft MLC, commented: ‘Parking considerately is something that most people do most of the time but problems with vehicles parking too close to others are all too common. This campaign will hopefully raise it in people’s consciousness with the aim of reducing the number of problems experience by fire crews and other emergency response vehicles.’

Carl Kinvig added: ‘In the most recent incident, where a fire appliance had to stop at the end of a road because of parked vehicles, firefighters had to carry their hose reels and breathing apparatus about 100 yards before they could start tackling the house fire. That obviously has implications in the event of a life threatening incident. All we are asking people to do, when they park their car and get out, is just take a second to have a look and think could an emergency vehicle get through? If not, park somewhere else.’

Apart from distributing posters and leaflets to raise pubic awareness, crews will also carry leaflets in their appliances, which they will leave on parked vehicles that they come across which could potentially cause access problems.

The leaflets will point out that fire appliances are 2.4metres wide – meaning a minimum of three metres is required between parked vehicles for emergency access. They urge motorists to think carefully about parking and most of all to PARK SMART. 

Anyone requiring fire safety advice can contact the Community Safety Team on 647303 or go to the website www.iomfire.com 

Station Officer Carl Kinvig  Tel: 647312

Sub Officer Peter Killey Tel: 647381

Community Safety Department Tel: 647303