A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. Pressure (symbol 'p' is the force per unit Area applied to an object in a direction perpendicular to the surface Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. Typically, water cannons can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of metres / hundreds of feet. They are used in firefighting and riot control. Distinguish from a Firefight, which means a battle with firearms Riot control refers to the measures used by police military or other forces to control, disperse and arrest civilians that are involved in a Riot, demonstration Most water cannons fall under the category of a fire monitor.
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Firefighting
Water cannons were first devised for use on fireboats. A fireboat is a specialized watercraft often resembling a Tugboat, with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard Fires They are frequently Putting out fires on boats and buildings close to the water was much more difficult and dangerous before fireboats were invented. Fire is the heat and light energy released during a Chemical reaction, in particular a combustion reaction. The first fireboat deployed in Los Angeles was commissioned on August 1, 1919. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The first fireboat in New York City was Marine 1, deployed February 1, 1891. The City of New York Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 1891 ( MDCCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common There may have been other fireboats elsewhere even earlier.
Fire trucks deliver water with much the same force and volume of force as a water cannon, and have even been used in riot control situations, but are rarely referred to as water cannons outside this context. A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting Fires by transporting Firefighters
Riot control
Truck-based water cannon systems were used widely in the United States during the 1960s for riot control. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Although they were safer than a combination of firearms, tear gas, and batons, their use as a less-lethal riot control mechanism has fallen out of favor in the United States. A firearm is a Tool that projects either single or multiple Projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion A lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (from lacrima meaning "a tear " in Latin) (commonly referred to as tear gas) is a A club (also known as cudgel, baton, truncheon, night stick, and bludgeon) is among the simplest of all weapons Less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, or more recently compliance weapons are weapons intended Riot control refers to the measures used by police military or other forces to control, disperse and arrest civilians that are involved in a Riot, demonstration (see Media effect and Safety & Criticism below)
Since then, other higher-tech non-lethal weapons have been developed for domestic use. Less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, or more recently compliance weapons are weapons intended Whether these newer weapons are more effective and safer than water cannons remains controversial. Their competing vendors disagree as to which is more effective and safer. A vendor or a supplier is a Supply chain management term meaning anyone who provides goods or services to a company
Water cannons designed for riot control are still made in the United States and the United Kingdom, but most customers are overseas, particularly in Africa and parts of Asia. The most modern versions do not expose the operator to the riot, and are controlled remotely from within the vehicle with a joystick. A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling These high-end vehicles can carry 2000 gallons (8,000 L) of water with a delivery rate of 250 gallons per minute (15 L/s). A gallon is a measure of Volume. It is in current use in the United States and still has limited use in many other English-speaking countries The litre or liter (see spelling differences) is a unit of Volume. The water can be delivered as a continuous stream, or in pulses; as a hard jet or as a spray.
The State of New South Wales in Australia purchased a water cannon in 2007, with a view to using it during an APEC meeting in Sydney that year. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 [3][4] It was not used. [5] It was the first purchase of a water cannon in Australia.
Safety & Criticism
Early (1960's) water cannons (usually adapted fire trucks) would knock protesters down and on occasion, tear their clothes. A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting Fires by transporting Firefighters
Anecdotal reports indicate that people can walk away from an encounter with a water cannon with serious internal injuries such as a ruptured spleen. The spleen is an organ found in all Vertebrate animals In humans the spleen is located in the abdomen of the body where it functions in the destruction of redundant Red If true and if such injuries are ignored, death could occur later. The high pressure that a modern water cannon can achieve (up to 30 bar) can break bones. The bar (symbol bar) decibar (symbol dbar) and the millibar (symbol mbar, also mb are units of Pressure. There have been reports of cobblestone streets being torn open by the jet of water. Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early Streets "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob"
A report issued in the United Kingdom said that use of plastic bullets over water cannon was justified because "Water cannons are inflexible and indiscriminate", although several people had been very seriously injured by plastic bullets. The plastic bullet is the name given to a type of Less-lethal projectile fired from a specialised gun used in Riot control The plastic bullet is the name given to a type of Less-lethal projectile fired from a specialised gun used in Riot control
Media effect
The presence of the media at riots has had a significant impact on water cannon use. Riots are a form of Civil disorders characterized by disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of Violence, Vandalism or other There is much pressure on police departments to avoid bad publicity, and water cannon often plays badly in the press. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force It is considered that this is likely a reason that they are not used more often in countries with a free press.
Pictures of riots being dispersed by water cannons remind some of the American Civil Rights Movement when they were used by authorities to disperse crowds of protesting African Americans; this reminder is one reason why the water cannon has fallen out of favor in the USA. The American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968 refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa
Alternative payload
Dye
In 1997, pink dye was reportedly added to the water used by Indonesian police to disperse a riot. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar A dye can generally be described as a Colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. [1] The implication is that they might use this mark to make it easier to arrest rioters later. The United Kingdom, who sold the water cannons to Indonesia, condemned this practice, (although the Royal Ulster Constabulary had used a water cannon with purple dye during The Troubles in Northern Ireland) but later approved the sale of more water cannons to them. The Royal Ulster Constabulary GC was the name of the Police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001 Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Most modern water cannons are also capable of adding tear gas to the stream.
Soap
Soap cannons have been proposed for crowd control when persons in the crowd may be victims of a suspected bioterror attack. For the use of biological agents in warfare see Biological warfare. Soap cannons serve the double purpose of crowd control and cleaning people in the crowd. Los Angeles International Airport has a soap cannon which also features pop-out showers so that crowds can be cleansed after being soaped. Los Angeles International Airport is the primary Airport serving Los Angeles, California, the second-most populated metropolitan area of Also, people who have been soaped up are more likely to stay at the incident site to receive a decontamination treatment (cleansing shower), usually offered after the soaping, so the soap cannon helps to prevent people from fleeing from the scene of a chemical release, i. e. it prevents people from spreading the contamination to others.
Sewage
There have been incidents of antiriot watercannons being loaded with sewage instead of clean water. Sewage is the mainly liquid Waste containing some solids produced by humans which typically consists of washing water Feces, Urine, laundry waste and other [2]
Electricity
One manufacturer is experimenting with additives (salt and additives to reduce the breakup of the stream into droplets) that would allow electricity to be conducted through water. They have demonstrated delivery from a distance of up to twenty feet (6 m), but have not yet tested the device on people. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International
Although referred to as an electrified water cannon, this experiment involved a water jet much less powerful than a water cannon. The electrified water cannon was a non-lethal Weapon under early research by Jaycor Tactical Systems as part of a program to produce non-lethal weapons for law enforcement
Other delivery devices
Water cannons differ from other similar devices in the volume of water delivered in a given time, the nozzle speed, the pressure that it is delivered at, and to a lesser extent the total volume that can be delivered. A nozzle is a mechanical device or Orifice designed to control the characteristics of a Fluid flow as it exits (or enters an enclosed chamber or Pipe. They are also generally portable. The method of employment is also important in labelling a device a water cannon. Nevertheless, the distinction between a water cannon and other similar devices is fuzzy. For example:-
- Pressure washers generally produce an extremely high pressure stream where the power of the stream drops off significantly over a very short distance. A pressure washer is a mechanical device that uses high-pressure water to remove mold grime dust mud and dirt from surfaces and objects such as buildings vehicles and Concrete
- Water pistols and other toys deliver much less water at a much lower pressure with a much lower volume of water. A water gun (or water pistol, squirt gun, or water blaster) is a type of Toy designed to shoot Water.
- Ultra high pressure water jet cutters are used to cut a wide variety of materials including granite, concrete (see hydrodemolition),ceramics, fabric and even Kevlar. A water jet cutter is a tool capable of slicing into Metal or other materials using a jet of Water at high velocity and pressure or a mixture of water and an Granite (ˈɡrænɪt is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, Felsic, igneous rock. Hydrodemolition (also known as hydro demolition hydroblasting hydro blasting hydromilling waterblasting and waterjetting is a Concrete removal technique which utilizes The word ceramic is derived from the Greek word κεραμικός ( keramikos) Kevlar is the registered Trademark for a light strong para-aramid Synthetic fiber, related to other Aramids such as Nomex and One such cutter delivers 55,000 psi (380 MPa) through a nozzle 0. 003 inch (8 micrometres) in diameter at 1 kilometre per second. A micrometre ( American spelling: micrometer; symbol µm) is one millionth of a Metre, or equivalently one thousandth of a Millimetre This can cut a person in half at close range. There are reports of accidental deaths involving the industrial use of high-pressure water.
Other meanings
The name "watercannon" has also been used for:-
- Similar land vehicles used for firefighting
- Various large toys, for example images [6] [7] [8]
- Waterjet mining tools, e. Distinguish from a Firefight, which means a battle with firearms Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body g. image
- A type of railway wagon used to hose fallen leaves off the track: e. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. g. seen at Alexandra Palace on the 25 October 2003
![[7]](http://www.alton-towers.co.uk/waterpark/images/guide_watercannon.jpg){kind=link}
References
- ^ Indonesia and East Timor: Arms and security transfers undermine human rights. 3 June 1997. Amnesty International [1]
- ^ [2]
External links
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