# Are fire engines universally red? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fire-engines-universally-red/515866 "2009-10-31T18:35:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![not\_austin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c68b51/32.png) [@not\_austin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_austin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fire-engines-universally-red/515866/41 "2009-11-03T15:35:06Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > [Does Antarctica count as a country](http://www.sethwhite.org/images/mcmurdo/mcmurdo%20station/fire%20engine%20number%201.jpg)? (not that I live there) > > [Green](http://www.formbytimes.co.uk/news/formby-news/2009/04/01/trail-blazing-fire-engines-66401-23286089/) or [yellow](http://www.fire-engine-photos.com/picture/number6307.asp)in the UK - I’m guessing there’s a rainbow of non reds in that last link. > > eta - [I was right](http://www.fire-engine-photos.com/picture/number18754.asp) :eek: Did you check the date on the green one? ---
**Author:** ![Staver808](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Staver808](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staver808)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fire-engines-universally-red/515866/42 "2009-11-03T18:45:39Z")
As a slight derail, being a native English speaker, it never occured to me that they might be called anything other than fire trucks. Many eons ago, on a trip to Japan, I happened to see they’re called water trucks (with the kanji character for Water painted on the side), which struck me as so logical, I can’t believe I never questioned it before. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fire-engines-universally-red/515866/43 "2009-11-04T00:10:50Z")
> [@Staver808](#): > > As a slight derail, being a native English speaker, it never occured to me that they might be called anything other than fire trucks. Many eons ago, on a trip to Japan, I happened to see they’re called water trucks (with the kanji character for Water painted on the side), which struck me as so logical, I can’t believe I never questioned it before. Around here, what they’re called depends on what they carry. Fire engines carry tools, fire trucks have the ladders, aerial trucks have the huge expanding ladder for reaching high places, squads have specialized rescue equipment, and tankers are the big water trucks (2,000 gallons or more). ---
**Author:** ![dobieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@dobieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dobieman)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fire-engines-universally-red/515866/44 "2009-11-04T02:33:06Z")
Up here in Fairbanks, Alaska, (where house fires in the winter customarily freeze and await fighting until the spring thaw when there is a sudden epidemic of them as a result) we have the lime-green engines as well as the red ones. I think there are green ones in use on the nearby army installation, Ft. Wainwright. And they may have yellow ones out at the international airport. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fire-engines-universally-red/515866/45 "2009-11-04T03:53:12Z")
Yellow (is that yellow?). Canberra, Australia [![](https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3350/3649424595_bfeb406b2f_o.jpg) ](https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3350/3649424595_bfeb406b2f_o.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Wall6ly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed655f/32.png) [@Wall6ly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wall6ly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fire-engines-universally-red/515866/46 "2009-11-05T14:59:08Z")
I live over in Kobe Japan, and I see quite a few that are red, but painted up with black spots so they look like ladybugs. ---
**Author:** ![LadyoftheMist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@LadyoftheMist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LadyoftheMist)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fire-engines-universally-red/515866/47 "2009-11-07T01:28:15Z")
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