Artifact Analysis

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An Artifact Analysis The artifact that I choose to share was a flower painted fire hydrant. The artist could be anyone, anywhere in America. Anywhere, however the hydrants can be used as an expression of art. In San Francisco and many communities in Chicago, IL, graffiti artists are considered “Guerilla” artist and are frowned upon for using a fire hydrant as a canvas. These cities, and many others, spend thousands of dollars replacing these overnight masterpieces. They feel it is an eyesore and a matter of public safety. In other parts of the country – permission granted, painted fire hydrants, as art, are welcomed and popping up all over. This particular artifact makes me smile whenever I view it. Our nation’s least expensive firefighting resource is water. When a fire engine company arrives at a working fire, there is a limited amount of time to determine the best way to handle the emergency. Firemen need very important information before they can start to tackle any fire. First they need to know how much water they have available. This is determined from the closest hydrant. A fireman needs to select the correct sized hose lines for the size and difficulty of the fire. An ineffective decision would be where an incorrect line would exceed the maximum flow of a hydrant. This is known as an “available flow”. Firemen also need to know the water pressure that a hydrant holds. Each hydrant is unique. A hydrant’s water pressure varies. For a fireman, knowing the pressure of the hydrant, before attaching the hose, helps ensure that the correct pumping operation will work. A fire company can compensate for a low pressure using pumps on their fire engine. The National Fire Protection Association came up with a way to inform a fire company this important information immediately upon arriving at a fire. A fire company is able to see a hydrant and

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