Can Firefighters Break Your Car Windows? Watch Insane Viral Clip

Firefighters play an essential and highly appreciated role in society. From saving cats stuck in trees to fighting the most fearsome of fires, they are almost like superheroes in our cities. As you can probably imagine, being a firefighter is not easy. Firefighters often face high-stress emergencies where they must make split-second decisions to save lives. In other words, time is of the essence for firefighters. Recently, a video surfaced of a firefighter breaking a car window to attach a fire hose during an emergency. The clip has taken the internet by storm, leaving many viewers asking, “Can firefighters break your car windows?” 

Firefighter Smashes Car Windows In Viral Video 

The clip shows a team of firefighters working on a major fire on the streets of New York City. One firefighter takes a pickaxe-like tool and begins hacking away at the windows of a car, which blocks his access to a nearby fire hydrant. 

Eventually, he and his team successfully cracked through the side windows of the parked vehicle. They then thread their fire hose through the car, creating a direct line between the fire truck and the fire hydrant. After hooking up at the hydrant, the team successfully uses their hose to fight the blazing fire. 

In the wake of this video, people have debated the firefighter’s actions hotly. Some viewers argue that the firefighters had no other option but to hook up their hose correctly, as the driver was illegally parked, to begin with. Others criticize the video, stating that they could have laid the hose over or around the car and issued a fine afterward. 

So, can firefighters break your car windows? Let’s talk about it! 

Fire Hydrant Parking Laws 

The main thing that is clear in the video is that the driver was parked illegally in the spot. Most states have established rules regarding how close you can legally park near a fire hydrant. Most cities and states have a minimum distance of 15 feet, which you must keep clear when parking near hydrants. 

These rules aren’t just arbitrary laws; they exist to uphold safety and help firefighters address fires and other pressing emergencies. Ignoring these rules can create significant challenges for emergency workers. For instance, cars blocking fire hydrants can prevent firefighters from accessing and using water to combat a fire.

Breaking these parking laws can also result in some legal trouble for you. Notably, those who park around a hydrant are usually subject to fines of around $50-$150. In cases where the parking inhibits the activity of emergency workers, these fines can increase. Many places will also tow a vehicle and issue you a towing and reclaim fee. 

Are There Other Options For Firefighters? 

When people first see the video clip, they may wonder if the firefighters could have weaved their hose over or around the car. Although this solution wouldn’t have fixed the illegal parking, it would have prevented potentially unnecessary damage to the vehicle. 

Generally, the answer to whether firefighters have other options is no. In an emergency, firefighters can do almost anything necessary to provide assistance. When dealing with fires, this means they must connect their hose to a hydrant in a way that allows it to spray water with sufficient pressure to combat the fire.

According to many firefighters who have addressed the video, having bent or kinked hoses can easily reduce the pressure to a point where it is less effective at fighting fires. Thus, trying to weave the hose around or over the vehicle may have impeded their ability to fight the fire effectively.

Trying to lay the hose over the vehicle may have also caused its fair share of damages. When dry, a 100-foot firefighting hose weighs upwards of 100 pounds. These hoses can be hundreds of pounds of flailing mass when paired with pressurized water. If placed on top of a car, the fire hose could have easily caused major dents, scratches, or even broken a window. 

Can Firefighters Break Your Car Windows? 

The answer to the question, “Can firefighters break your car windows?” is a tentative yes! For the simple fact of parking near a hydrant, firefighters are not permitted to break your windows. They follow similar rules to police officers to prevent unnecessary property damage. 

Firefighters cannot break your car windows unless there is no other reasonable option for them to use in a situation. This affords them a wide breadth of  “reasonability.” For instance, if their hose had possibly reduced pressure in any other configuration, they would have been allowed to break your car windows to access the correct path. 

Situations like this are relatively rare. In many cases, people park near hydrants, which causes no issues. In emergencies, however, situations can become more dire as firefighters need to access hydrants promptly and correctly.