🔍 Key Concepts

• Materials normally used for marine fire-fighting equipment on steel ships • How firefighters onboard quickly identify hoses during an emergency • Proper maintenance practices for threaded couplings and gaskets

💭 Think About

• Look at each choice and ask: does this practice make the coupling safer and more reliable, or could it actually cause problems in an emergency? • Think about what painting, greasing, or hardening a coupling would do to the threads, grip, and ability to connect quickly under pressure. • Which material description best matches what you would expect on standard shipboard fire stations and portable fire hoses?

✅ Before You Answer

• Check which option describes common non-sparking, corrosion-resistant materials used at sea. • Consider whether frequent greasing of threads would help, or if it might attract grit and cause the coupling to slip in your hands. • Ask yourself if making couplings very hard is desirable, or if some toughness and resistance to cracking and deformation is better.