Credits: Social Media
British woman baffled by those ‘random red statues’ on every American street
From traffic signs to crossing rules and street lights, walking down a US road is a very different experience from a British one.
Another thing that differs between the two countries is fire hydrants, which have left one English woman extremely perplexed this week.
British woman confused by fire hydrants
The woman called Phoebe took to TikTok this week to ask what those “random red statues” are that appear on every American street.
“I’ve got a question for the Americans out there and I’m genuinely curious as to what the hell this thing is,” she said.
“I’ve been looking at pictures and videos of things in America as I always do and there is this random red statue that appears on every street corner.”
She held up a picture of the red “phallic-looking” statue and asked confusedly: “What is this? What is its use?”
Phoebe said it’s the cutest thing she’s ever seen and added: “We need them in England. Whatever they do, whatever its use is.”
She must be the first person to describe a fire hydrant as adorable!
‘You don’t have fire hydrants in the UK?’
In the comments, Americans are dumbfounded that she didn’t know what a fire hydrant was.
One person wrote: “You don’t have fire hydrants in the UK?”
“Is she serious and doesn’t know what a fire hydrated is?” said another.
A third person added: “How does England put out fires then?”
When there is a fire, firemen attach their hose to the hydrant, which allows them to spray water and put out the blaze. In the US, they can be red, yellow or green to indicate the available water pressure and appear on every street.
They do have them in the UK, but they aren’t visible in the same way. UK fire hydrants are hidden in a pit underground, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service reveals.
A bright yellow sign with the letter ‘H’ and two numbers on it is placed somewhere nearby. The large number at the top indicates the size of the water main, while the small one at the bottom is the distance to the hydrant in meters.
Above-ground fire hydrants simply aren’t a thing in the UK, so it’s no surprise the TikTok user had no idea what the “random statue” was.
Someone else joked that the hydrant is a “urinal for dogs” – which is certainly what they are used for most of the time!
