"There are thousands of cars parked all over town that they don't have the ability to move," says Madison Fire Department Lieutenant Larry Grab.

It's a problem firefighters see every time it snows that could potentially be the difference between life and death.

"Getting through the streets when the streets are narrowed by the snow and by parked cars and the snow plow leaving the big ruts around the parked cars makes it more difficult and it slows our response."

Driving through almost any Madison neighborhoods you'll see it; cars that have been parked in the same spot for days after a snowfall and are now snowed in after snow plows make their rounds. The main problem is firefighters need about 16 feet of roadway in order to successfully park their engine or ladder. When cars like this don't move when it's time to plow the streets, all the snow that piles up around them makes it that much more difficult and puts several homes at risk in the event of a fire.

The solution seems simple, have all drivers move their cars when it snows. But not everyone cooperates. The city has given out nearly 9 hundred snow citations.

"Take the time, you and your friends or whomever to help get your car unstuck. Move it out the way cause you never know, there might be a fire in your place or next door where the fire department might need to come."

And most importantly, do it quickly. The longer you take to dig your car out the harder it becomes. Dropping temperatures turns snow and sleet on your car to ice making it nearly impossible to remove.