In one US city, firefighters will soon be able to issue tickets for parking offences

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Firefighters will be able to issue $25 parking tickets as designated "special police officers" under a resolution approved by Oak Ridge City Council this week.

Training sessions for members of the Oak Ridge Fire Department in the proper procedure for issuing citations — rather than making arrests in such cases — will be conducted soon, Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said Wednesday.

He said he expects firefighters will be able to start writing tickets in about 30 days.

The measure is part of a "Not in Our City" campaign, a general effort to improve Oak Ridge that includes a new ordinance tightening guidelines involving on- and off-street parking.

Kerley said that after they are trained, firefighters will be able to issue parking tickets in instances where motorists have parked in fire lanes at businesses, next to fire hydrants, and in areas designated as fire department connections for hookups to building sprinkler systems.

Motorists parking in fire lanes in retail areas are a frequent problem because firefighters respond to medical emergencies in stores on a "routine basis," Kerley said. The on-street parking issue became a problem when firefighters went to a recent residential fire, and vehicles parked on both sides of the street impeded their response, the fire chief said.