06:49 PM CST on Wednesday, November 9, 2005

By Doug Miller / 11 News

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Everybody knows you're not supposed to park next to a fire hydrant. At least, you'd think so.

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The fire chief parked in front of the hydrant for more than an hour.

So you'll never guess who 11 News' Doug Miller found parked next to a fire hydrant, and of all places, at Houston City Hall.

If a building catches fire, firefighters need water.

If Houston City Hall caught fire, water would come from hydrants.

But the fire chief parked in front of the hydrant right beside the home of Houston government.

"I kept the radio on. And I'm the on duty shift commander," T.A. Stone, Houston Fire Department.

It seems the district chief was called to a city council meeting for some routine questions.

"I came. And the instructions I had were to find a place to park," he said.

When asked why he had parked in front of a fire hydrant, Stone said, "because I knew whether there was gonna be a fire, because I have my radio on."

While the district chief was upstairs here, his city-owned truck blocked the fire hydrant for more than an hour.

The street is regularly patrolled by municipal courts officers -- the people who write parking tickets.

As a matter of fact, some other drivers got parking tickets at the very same time that fire truck was parked in front of the hydrant. But the fire truck did not get a parking ticket.

"It was emergency personnel who had to come here, meet with some citizens and get out, be able to get out quick if there was an emergency," said Mayor Bill White.

Maybe all the meters were taken, but next to City Hall, there are lots of places you can park illegally without blocking a hydrant.

"I didn't like it, either. But I was asked to get over here. And this vehicle doesn't fit in parking garages as well as others," Stone said.