Why are Fire trucks Red?
It may sound silly but there are many stories on how fire trucks got their colors. But the most logical and accepted theory is that, red is easy to recognize and people are used to seeing red fire trucks since early days.
Competitions on who are the best firefighters around, was not all about fire fighting. Uniforms and the vehicles were kept clean and in order. The color of the vehicle also symbolizes its position and importance. Red was considered the most expensive color and fire brigades want their own trucks to be more popular than the rest. So they accepted red as their primary color and it makes them stand out from the rest.
Today, there are many colors available to make vehicles unique. The thing is if you paint a fire truck with a different color (besides red) people don’t recognize them immediately. The public may be a little slow to catch on the different changes of the time, especially when it comes to fire trucks. Manufacturers decided to stick with the color red. They do this to ensure that the majority would know what the vehicle is meant for. This will also limit the risk of confusion.
Some modern fire trucks have different colors (depends on their country, city or state) and people are gradually accepting them for what they really are. Still, the majority of fire trucks today are red to keep up with the tradition.
The color red symbolizes many things among them, blood, fire, emergencies and royalty. Believe it or not, color can be a life or death issue at times. Without proper recognition of colors, one may never distinguish what is safe and what is dangerous. . Experts believe that ‘two toned colors, might camouflage the vehicles instead of making them visible to the public eye, especially when it comes to emergencies.