SF officials say guerrilla artists are creating public safety hazards by painting fire hydrants

[The Straight Story]

San Francisco officials say guerrilla artists who are painting fire hydrants without city permission are creating public safety hazards and costing taxpayers thousands of dollars.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that 35 to 40 fire hydrants have been painted in silver, neon-green and other colors in recent months.

Officials say the city has spent about $140,000 to repair the hydrants, but the bigger concern is public safety.

Each hydrant has identification numbers and tags that provide information about water pressure, the water main the hydrant is connected to, and the distance to a shutoff valve.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/california/LA-COPY-San-Francisco-Wants-End-to-Fire-Hydrant-Painting-255085841.html

[grasswire]

1. phooey.

When I was in high school it was the rage to sneak to the campus of the rival HS at night, and paint the fire hydrants there with your school colors. Then they would do the same to your HS. I spent many a happy Saturday repainting my HS's hydrants from orange black to blue gray.

Where is the public safety hazard?

[11 Bravo]

2. Did you read the last sentence of the OP?

[Aerows]

4. Can they exert their might and attention

to violent crimes first? Because I'm pretty sure the fire department is trained to know what reservoirs they are using by the notation of the street they are on. You know, because they learn that.

I'm not saying it isn't a crime, I'm just saying that investing resources in going after little fish is rather dumb considering how much violent crime happens in this nation. I could care less if ten pot smokers (which I don't smoke, by the way) go free and ten fire hydrant painters get away if we get a rapist or a murderer off the street.

[11 Bravo]

6. I wasn't even thinking about threat prioritization. The OP asked ...

"Where's the pubic safety issue", and I responded. OK?

[Aerows]

3. It's easier to catch a "public menace"

Painting a fire hydrant, and use a no-knock raid to serve a warrant for non-payment of school loans than it is to deal with a rapist or a murderer. Someone might get hurt in the latter case (well, a police officer might get hurt, we want them to stay well, but if the public and their pets get harmed, oh well.)

[Historic NY]

5. All the fire hydrants in my town are colored coded, based on water pressure..

each one has when tested. Hooking up a fire apparatus to a low water source can mean life or death, or greater fire destruction. Repainting them is criminal mischief.

[alittlelark]

7. The info they are painting over is VERY important...

...I understand the desire to paint them, and actually have a great appreciation for graffiti art (not 'tagging....), but that information is crucial in an emergency situation....

Perhaps the FD could allow permits to paint them - w/o covering that critical info.

[Brickbat]

8. Way to stick it to the man!