Why are Fire Trucks Red?
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.
Other sources cite the tradition of painting fire engines red going back to the
early 1920's. Henry Ford wanted to make cars as inexpensively as possible and
only offered cars in one color: black. With all of these black vehicles on the
road, the fire service began painting their vehicles red in an effort to stand
out.
Today, just as you have many more choices of colors available to you for your
vehicle, so do the fire engine manufacturers, and it is not uncommon to see
white, yellow, blue, orange, green, or even black fire engines, in addition to
red. And while some studies hint that colors such as lime-green may be more
visible to the public than traditional red, the vast majority of fire
departments continue to use red fire engines -- a color instantly recognized by
everyone as that of a fire engine.
Most recent fire engines purchased have shifted to the Chicago-famed, black over
red paint scheme. The first closed-cab chief's cars in Chicago had black canvas
tops which would not take paint. Someone among the brass liked the appearance,
so as new closed-cab apparatus came onto the roster, the cabs of the fire
engines were painted black.
You may also notice the green light on fire engines in northern states. This is
also a traditional Chicago-style fire engine feature. Commissioner Albert
Goodrich of the Chicago Fire Department (1927 - 1931) had a nautical background.
He applied the marine scheme (red light on port, green light on starboard) to
fire apparatus, and the idea became a tradition of the Chicago Fire Department.
It is also used to mark the bay doors at most Chicago fire stations