The Wall Street Journal has a story which touches on the time honored fire service debate about the color of fire apparatus. The article is a piece about a small district in Florida which maintains a fleet that is painted a non-traditional color.
Throughout the rest of the country, red is the typical color for emergency vehicles—fire-engine red as the shade is often and aptly called. But for nearly four decades, firefighters in Palm Beach Gardens have opted for a garish yellow-green that they argue is easier to spot from a distance, even in the pea soup of a South Florida summer thunderstorm. The proof that Fire Chief Pete Bergel often cites: In his 30 years with the city, no fire-department vehicle has been rear-ended. The color “is in your face,” he says.
Throughout the rest of the country, red is the typical color for emergency vehicles—fire-engine red as the shade is often and aptly called. But for nearly four decades, firefighters in Palm Beach Gardens have opted for a garish yellow-green that they argue is easier to spot from a distance, even in the pea soup of a South Florida summer thunderstorm. The proof that Fire Chief Pete Bergel often cites: In his 30 years with the city, no fire-department vehicle has been rear-ended. The color “is in your face,” he says.
Local departments that are not red include Elk Grove Township in Division 1, Pingree-Grove and Rutland-Dundee in Division 2, Glencoe in Division 3, Fox Lake and Winthrop Harbor in Division 4, Clarendon Hills in Division 10, Fox River & Countryside in Division 13, Coal City in Division 15, Lisle-Woodridge in Division 16, Elwood in Division 19, and Crete in Division 27.
Over the years, many departments in the area have switched to red or a red two-tone color scheme from white, yellow, and lime green.
The complete Wall Street Journal article can be found HERE.
#1 by Bill Post on April 20, 2012 - 3:23 PM
Even though the fire departments that I’m going to mention are from out of state, I personally think that one of the most impressive (classic) former color schemes of fire apparatus was the Baltimore City fire department’s white and maroon red with gold trim. The maroon over white then went to “Omaha Orange” over white which still didn’t look so bad for a “non red” fire engine. Somehow a white fire engine such as the ones still in use in Denver Colorado look better and more impressive then the egg or puke yellow fire engine which to this day are just plain ugly. When I’m talking about yellow fire engines I’m talking just about that color. The Miami Dade metro area fire department had gone from yellow to lime green which are a sharper shade of green then the plain yellow and look better then yellow fire engines.
In the early 1980s, the New York City Fire Department purchased a few lime yellow fire engines as an experiment, along with their normal (at the time) straight red fire engines. The yellow ones went over so poorly that they repainted them red and the NYFD then went to white over red and fire engines which are much more noticeable and not ugly. Since then the paint scheme was modified to include white and gold striping. The Los Angeles City Fire Department used yellow fire engines for what you would call “special services” rigs. This included their “Heavy Utility” rig which is now called a Heavy Rescue but in reality is a heavy duty wrecker with a heavy duty hoist lift and some power tools on board. For about two to three years from 1967 through 1970 they ran with 2 large 85 foot Snorkels that were also painted yellow which were taken out of service because of an unfortunate freak accident involving one of them. By the late 80s they repainted their heavy utility company white over red. Now their only companies that are still painted yellow are the airfield units and their “Tractor” brush clearance unit whose job is to keep their fire prone brush and wooded area near the Santa Monica mountains clear.
Ultimately the bottom line is how good a job the fire engine does extinguishing fires and expediting rescues but if yellow fire trucks were that more visible and effective in preventing accidents then most of the fire departments that went yellow wouldn’t have gone to red and white which in my opinion is more visible, eye catching, and attractive.
I also believe that the incidents of nausea and disgust in both fire fighters and civilians went down about 90 percent since most of the departments went away from the puke yellow fire engines of the 70s and early 80s.
#2 by Garrett on April 18, 2012 - 3:46 PM
I grew up in Hinsdale but my father was a retired Chicago Firefighter so I became rather well-versed in the color variations of fire apparatus… I have never been a fan of the Hinsdale yellow and I didn’t think it could get worse until I moved to Indiana and saw Ellettsville FD. http://www.ellettsvillefire.org/apparatus.html
#3 by chris r on April 13, 2012 - 12:39 AM
I think apparatus is too generic nowadays . with most department either white and red or black and red. on the east coast they have all sorts of colors like blues , greens , yellows , and black . On the east coast it gives each department a character because they of their apparatus color , doesnt all look the same. Just because apparatus is a different color , doesnt make them any less of a department . I always thought of a color scheme of red apparatus body with red roof and white lower cab with a red triline refective on lower cab turning into white reflective triline on body . oh well !!!
#4 by Scott on April 12, 2012 - 4:09 PM
In regards to the “fancy striping on the back”, that is the Chevron design. It is now required by NFPA spec for apparatus that are produced from the manufacturers. The required color is the lime yellow/red. If a town does white/red or black/red that is overriding the requirements manufacturers are required to follow.
As far as motoroist seeing apparatus and not hitting them as was referenced in the original article from Flordia I’ve got to say his Dept is just luck! Apparatus get hit all the time when parked (and driving), and many of the occurences, color wouldn’t have changed the outcome. (i’m not talking about rigs hitting parked cars or where the engineer is the one at fault). \
My Dept covers a very busy, multi-lane expressway and we have been hit before chevrons, since chevrons, and with lights that make the worlds largest X-mas tree look dull. “Sometimes you can’t fix stupid”!
#5 by Brian on April 12, 2012 - 1:09 PM
Plainfield is all white, Sugar Grove and Oswego are Red
#6 by glynch on April 12, 2012 - 12:59 PM
glenviews squad is yellow
#7 by Evan Davis on April 12, 2012 - 8:01 AM
Growing up in Elmhurst, their apparatus were all golden yellow. They’ve been gradually switching to red within the past 3 years or so with their two new engines and ambulances. Personally, I think fire apparatus should be red out of tradition. But, I also think it’s pretty unique that departments have different colored rigs that stands out or represents their department. Growing up, if I saw yellow rigs going down the road, I would think Elmhurst or Lisle Woodridge. If I saw lime green, I would think York Center, back when they had that color scheme. If ya see white, ya might think of Plainfield. I think it’s pretty cool.
#8 by Eng 17 on April 12, 2012 - 7:52 AM
I believe Elmhurst is still white over a deep yellow…
#9 by Dan on April 12, 2012 - 7:48 AM
Mokena has an all white fleet, as does either Oswego or Sugar Grove. It would be hard to miss one of Coal City’s orange rigs!
I don’t think it really matters as much as it did in the past- nowadays, especially if the vehicle is coming head on, all you see if bumper, grille, windshield and lights. Plus many departments are using the bright colored striping in the back of their rigs which also stands out quite a bit.
#10 by John C on April 11, 2012 - 10:52 PM
All of Hinsdale is yellow, except for their new truck…3 Engines, 2 ambos.
#11 by Drew Smith on April 11, 2012 - 10:39 PM
The debate of red versus various other colors (particularly yellow, specifically lime-yellow) has gone on for more than 40 years. This “discussion” has been based on many arguments but the leader of the ant-red cause is Dr. Stephen Solomon, a NY-based Optometrist. He authored several articles that appeared in various fire service publications in the 1970s and 1980s arguing the scientific basis for lime yellow. While I support the technical merit of his work, it could be argued that when one hears a siren they look for a red and not yellow fire truck. If a community has had yellow for more than a few decades its residents may visualize a yellow fire truck but when asked, most Americans will say fire trucks are red. Anecdotally, over the past few decades several local FD have gone back to red (Mt. Prospect, Wheeling, Glenview when it replaced the old Glenbrook rigs) but I cannot recall anyone switching to yellow. Even the U.S. Military has been painting its ARFF vehicles red and not FAA yellow. Below are some documents that describe the doctor’s work.
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/pdf/efop/efo32117.pdf
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/pdf/efop/efo38097.pdf
About the doctor:
http://stephenssolomon.gather.com/
#12 by Brian on April 11, 2012 - 10:04 PM
Lansing (MABAS 24) also has a white squad (109)
#13 by Brian on April 11, 2012 - 10:03 PM
Thornton (MABAS Division 24) has a green truck 747.
#14 by Tom Foley on April 11, 2012 - 9:13 PM
I think Hinsdale still has a yellow engine… maybe a reserve. I think their newer equipment is goind to red as referenced in the article of many depts. In that area, it wasn’t too long ago Western Springs was white. How about the somewhat recently sold ladder from Willow Springs? That was black!
Airport fire equipment is often yellow.
Interesting article and conversation piece.