In Case of Fire -- Fire Valves and Fire Escape in San Francisco, California
by Darin Volpe
Title
In Case of Fire -- Fire Valves and Fire Escape in San Francisco, California
Artist
Darin Volpe
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Bright red paint makes it easy to spot the fire valves on the Union Square Hotel in San Francisco.
As buildings started getting taller, supplying water to to fight fire on the upper floors became increasingly important. Dragging fire hoses up from the street was problematic, as it required firefighters to haul those hoses up stairwells spiraling from floor to floor until they reached the level that was burning. It wasn't just the effort of hauling those hoses; It took time, they were susceptible to getting kinked, water lost pressure due to the length of hose, and were an obstacle in what might be the only way up or down.
Standpipes and fire valves were invented to eliminate the need to run fire hoses up from ground level, and they essentially put one or more fire hydrants on every floor. The valves are usually found inside, but on the Union Square Hotel, they protrude brightly from walls at the fire escapes.
Uploaded
December 27th, 2022
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