Red Fire Truck

[gotpasswords]

<looks over fence at neighbors> Charlotte’s livery is red, with white over red on the cab. Except for at the airport, where they went with lime yellow.

Another classic color scheme that’s been popular in and around Chicago is black over red.

[Senegoid]

@EmilyG

I voted both “red” and “yellow.” Here in Montreal, most are red, but there is one part of town where they’re yellow (and so are the fire hydrants.)

So the yellow fire trucks can only suckle at the yellow fire hydrant teats? Are there red ones for the red trucks?

ETA: Oh, almost fogot – the obligatory smilie. I think I’ll use for this.

[svd678]

70 years ago Albany, NY had red and yellow trucks. The yellow ones were owned by an insurance co. and only went to fires they were interested in; or so I was told.

[terentii]

FYI, the “lime yellow” color is actually sodium yellow, which lies in the middle of the visible spectrum. Due to evolution, it’s the color to which human eyes are most sensitive; ergo, vehicles painted this way are supposed to be highly visible.

That said, I find firetrucks that are anything but red to be an abomination. I currently live in Toronto, where they all are apparently painted red.

[Rushgeekgirl]

Red in Memphis, yellow in the surrounding county from what I’ve seen.

[Spoons]

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

Red here. When I lived in Toronto, Calgary, and Edmonton, they were also red.

[El_Kabong]

Red. Houston (Harris County) and Montgomery county, Texas.

[Mops]

Southern Germany, never seen nonred fire trucks except for airports. Typical vehicles of a German 22-man fire unit

[movingfinger]

Hermosa Beach, California, has white fire trucks.

[SCAdian]

Groton CT, but I work a couple towns away so I see other trucks as well as our own. Most of them are red, but some are red and white, and there’s at least one white one around. Not sure who owns the white one - it might belong to the sub base fire department. (The base has two firebarns - one actually on base, and the other in housing.)

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

That particular shade is even called fire-engine red, so yeah, I figure red’s the default.

@seal_cleaner

Yellow-green, northwest Arkansas. Does that color have a name?

May I suggest fire-engine yellow?

[DrumBum]

I voted a combination.

The Luanda fire department is somewhat challenged when fighting fires. When you do see one probably used to be red. The ones at the airport are yellow or white.

[VunderBob]

The VFD I was a member of had red trucks; where I live now they are yellow and white.

I’m a traditionalist, so I prefer red fahr trucks.

[Missy2U]

NW Suburbs of Chicago - Red

I’ve seen other colors, namely that limey neon green/yellow type but I’m not real sure where they were from.

[Just_Asking_Questions]

Ours are white, with a red stripe. I’m surprised that is such a rare response. I thought it was way more common.

http://www.emergencyrigs.net/users\14\1280_0003554.jpg

And as noted, they have more lights than a UFO.

Phoenix and Tempe have red with a white stripe.

http://phoenixfirepics.angelfire.com/images/PhoenixE52.jpg

http://www.tempe.gov/Modules/ShowImage.aspx?imageid=1685

Gilbert, AZ has white with blue stripe:

http://www.emergencyrigs.net/users\297\1280_0005164.jpg

Scottsdale has the hi-viz yellow (with white accents):

And the areas that don’t have dedicated fire depts use Rural metro, with their yellow rigs:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3144/2886118979_82523773bd_o.jpg

[Ranger_Jeff]

I’ve seen the “sodium yellow” but usually I’ve seen red. At night, the colour red seems to fade into black, but the yellow green seems more visible. That might have something to do with it.

[Doctor_Jackson]

@iMouse

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.

Don’t sell red short, it’s a pretty powerful color and evokes a physical response in people:

Red is a symbol of high energy and aggression. It is often used in warning or danger signs. This is because the color red stands out against backgrounds of white or black. Many traffic signs use the color red because it is the most visible color in daylight…Red has been found to have such a huge impact on people, it can even cause the heart to beat faster. A study has shown that when two sports teams are equally matched, the team dressed in red is more likely to win. Since red seems to bring up confrontation, it is best not to wear red when in negotiations at your place of employment. The color red is often used to draw attention making items appear stronger, brighter and heavier.

As to why firetrucks are red, no one really knows. The most popular theory is this:

The most widely-accepted reason that fire engines are painted red dates back to the 1800s – a time when there was a LOT of competition between the fire brigades of neighboring cities and towns. The firefighters of each brigade took great pride in their pump. Each brigade wanted their rig stand out by being the cleanest, having the most brass, or being a regal color. Because red was the most expensive color, that’s what color most crews chose to paint the pump

[Just_Asking_Questions]

@Doctor_Jackson

As to why firetrucks are red, no one really knows. The most popular theory is this:

Quote:
“Because red was the most expensive color, that’s what color most crews chose to paint the pump …”

This sounds about as likely as the reason in post 28. I have heard that red was the cheapest pigment in discussions of why barns are red. If they wanted a regal color, they would have painted them purple. Mmmm…purple fire trucks with polished brass, and gold pinstripe. Can you imagine a modern truck like that? Interesting…

[iMouse]

@Just_Asking_Questions

If they wanted a regal color, they would have painted them purple. Mmmm…purple fire trucks with polished brass, and gold pinstripe. Can you imagine a modern truck like that? Interesting…

They would only respond to brothel fires.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

Aww yeah