From the article : "?Our trucks are 30 feet long, so we need all that space to park and operate,? said Fire Department spokesman Frank Dwyer."
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the 15 foot either side rule harkens back to when most 4.5 inch suction hookups were made to inlets "amidships" on the rigs... but now most hydrant connections are made using the inlet on the front end. I'm guessing that 10 feet either side ought to me enough to nose the rig in. No?