Some laws may seem spurious and arcane. Other laws are very logical. For example, New York City vehicle and traffic law prohibits a motorist from parking his vehicle within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
This is not rocket science here. Obviously the law is in place to save lives by creating a zone for firemen to access the water and do their job as expeditiously as possible. It is a public safety hazard to block a fire hydrant.
When drivers disrespect the law and the firefighters have to access the fire hydrant, they do what they have to do. They have to put the hose through the car, because the fire hose needs to be straight, one minor kink could diminish the water supply to about half, and it would severely hamper firefighting efforts.