Decorated Fire Hydrants, would they block emergency services as Wayspots?
GearGlider-ING
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So this thread got posted in Reddit today and it raised an old debate regarding decorated fire hydrants:
Are decorated fire hydrants eligible? Or do they block emergency services?
There's some relevant AMA clarifications about this
September 2018
Q75: In OPR, how should reviewers rate painted electrical boxes on the street if they are visually interesting?
A75: NIA OPS says that, “If it falls under the category of Art, 5 stars on “Should this be a Portal” question.”
November 2018
Q26: would tornado sirens count as a unique form of architecture that is prominent(sort of like water towers or windmills) in areas that have the need for them as an early warning system? They’re also normally
A26: I asked NIA OPS and they agreed that if they are unique in construction or have some sort of artwork associated with it like some painted electrical boxes do. Otherwise, if it is just a random loud speaker on a wooden pole - no.
So decorated objects are Eligible.
But the big question is for Hydrants specifically. Would them being a Wayspot count as obstructing emergency services similar to how Fire Stations and Hospitals shouldn't be Wayspots for that reason?
Answers
I can have a public meeting around a fire hydrant if I wanted to without disrupting any emergency services.
The odds of any given hydrant being used are essentially zero. You don't have a statistically higher chance of interfering with EMS at a hydrant than at any point along with sidewalk between hydrants as most EMS responses aren't fires.
The criteria states:
Nominations whose real-world location appears to obstruct the driveway of emergency services or may interfere with the operations of fire stations
Hydrants are covered by neither. My read of this criteria is that it applies to facilities only, and I don't think that's an unreasonable read.