Gear 23

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Gear 23 is a public artwork by Steven Feren, installed in 1992 at Milwaukee Fire Department Engine Company #4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The sculpture, made of steel, brass, glass and mosaic, is about 2.4 by 2.8 by 1.1 meters. It resembles a firefighter’s closet: a shiny steel frame holds a top shelf with four helmets, each bearing the name of a firefighter who died in the line of duty. Below, four coats hang from a brass pole, with four pairs of boots and trousers on a textured steel step. Two coiled fire hoses lean against the outside of the closet. The piece rests on a rectangular concrete pad. The artist said the hanging jackets evoke firefighters waiting for a call, and the empty coats symbolize the souls of all firefighters who have died in the line of duty.