# Red Fire Truck **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566 "2014-02-17T23:07:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/1 "2014-02-17T23:07:55Z")
Need to find something out here and your help would be appreciated. I was in the middle of a discussion and a statement was made to the veracity of a claim, “Sure as a firetruck’s red.” Well, I’ve been some places and seen some things and while I have seen a lot of red firetrucks, I do vaguely recall seeing some that were other colors. So … what color is the firetruck where you live? Is red the default color and everything else is custom? How does this work in the firetruck business, does anyone know? Is it strictly an American thing? Would appreciate your participation. Oh, and tell me the jurisdiction you’re reporting on, please. Thanks. FWIW, all I’ve seen in Atlanta is red firetrucks. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/2 "2014-02-17T23:10:25Z")
I think they are mostly red here, but my sister was a per-call firefighter and their vehicles were yellow. I have also seen lime green. Brian ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/3 "2014-02-17T23:13:32Z")
some tint of yellow is widely popular. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/4 "2014-02-17T23:14:09Z")
Is that neon/lime green a fairly recent thing? We’re also seeing more signage in that neon green; I guess yellow’s not enough. Maybe green is the new yellow, I don’t know. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/5 "2014-02-17T23:15:04Z")
Around here (Charlotte) most are red, but some are yellow.Is the difference in color is due to function maybe? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/6 "2014-02-17T23:16:52Z")
It depends. The local FD uses red trucks, but CDF uses a [yellowish green](http://www.wildlandfire.com/pics/eng20/old-e1.jpg) for their equipment around here, in addition to those painted [Standard Government Mouse Puke Green](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Watertender01.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/7 "2014-02-17T23:18:46Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Is that neon/lime green a fairly recent thing? We’re also seeing more signage in that neon green; I guess yellow’s not enough. Maybe green is the new yellow, I don’t know. 😃 Mercer Island, WA purchased lime green for a long time due to a study in the 80’s indicating it reduced traffic accidents. More recent studies countered that and they switched to ordering red again. ---
**Author:** ![iMouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e9c0ed/32.png) [@iMouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iMouse)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/8 "2014-02-17T23:49:48Z")
Yellow is the colour best seen in snow/fog. Red is nothing but the colour of fire, and has no other purpose other than that distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/9 "2014-02-17T23:52:33Z")
It’s red here, but I’ve seen yellow. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/10 "2014-02-17T23:55:21Z")
Always red where I am. Ontario, Canada. ---
**Author:** ![andrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@andrewm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewm)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/11 "2014-02-17T23:57:45Z")
There are some yellow/green ones in the Baltimore, MD area going back to at least 1990 or 1991. Mostly red though. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/12 "2014-02-17T23:57:46Z")
Still red here in the UK. Yellow fire trucks are for airports. ---
**Author:** ![iMouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e9c0ed/32.png) [@iMouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iMouse)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/13 "2014-02-17T23:59:13Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > Still red here in the UK. Yellow fire trucks are for airports. Makes you think that perhaps pilots can see them on the runways better than red ones, doesn’t it? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/14 "2014-02-18T00:15:14Z")
Firetrucks in the suburb where I live are yellow. They often work with other departments and I’ve always assumed it’s an easy way to tell them apart. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/15 "2014-02-18T00:24:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > It depends. The local FD uses red trucks, but CDF uses a [yellowish green](http://www.wildlandfire.com/pics/eng20/old-e1.jpg) for their equipment around here, . The vast majority of fire trucks are red, but I’ve seen them this color in real life too. I just can’t recall where. When I lived in southern MA, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/16 "2014-02-18T00:26:42Z")
I looked it up because I know I’ve seen other than red. It looks like some are red on the bottom half and white on the top half. Some are white with a yellowish stripe. Anne Arundel County MD. [http://www.arundelfire.com/apparatus.html](http://www.arundelfire.com/apparatus.html) ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/17 "2014-02-18T00:26:57Z")
Near west suburbs of Chicago - all red here. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/18 "2014-02-18T00:30:25Z")
We have a volunteer fire department, and the truck is lime green. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/19 "2014-02-18T00:49:33Z")
Red. Also yellow/white. Long Island, NY. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566/20 "2014-02-18T01:18:37Z")
Red. Chicago-ish. The surrounding suburbs I’m familiar with; also red. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-fire-truck/681566.md?page=2)