Color Red.

[mikewisner]

While this question maybe obvious to many but anyway How did red become the primarly traditional color of fire engines? Fire itself is more than less an orange color so I doubt it has anything to do with that. My only other guess is red might catch someones eye when they are rushing to a fire.

Also why do some FD's have black painted the drivers compartment or whatever you call it?

Last 1 reason I've heard FD's began using lighter colored engines are really easier to see especially at night. Do you think it works?

[Box 2565]

Hi Mike,

Actually I'm not sure as to why red became the primary choice.  It seems obvious, but in the hand drawn era fire companies used a large variety of colors on their pumpers and reels.  I find it interesting that fire departments all across the U.S. have shifted back to using a non-traditional color for their rigs.  

Even in the early days of motorization many departments continued to use the color of their hand/horse equipment on the new machines.  Although red was the predominant color of apparatus, white and gray were popular color choices.  Many departments painted their apparatus maroon instead of a brighter "fire engine red".  This was common because the standard color used by American LaFrance was a dark maroon.  Since ALF was such a popular choice for apparatus, the use of maroon as a color selection could be found nationwide. San Francisco was noted for using maroon and returned to that color choice this year (although they had the roof painted white - I wish they had stuck with a solid color).

One of the more unusual colors that is seen these days is all black apparatus.  That choice isn't new either.  Even in the early days (teens and twenties) Springfield, Massachusetts was using black as their standard color.

The current craze for black-over-red comes out of the use of that color combination in Chicago.  Chicago F.D. began using black, cloth tops on their chief's cars in the 1930's.  When they began ordering closed cab apparatus a decision was made to paint the top of the cab black to match the automobiles.  That color scheme was also widely used in the suburban areas in Illinois and Indiana.  Living where you do I'm sure you see plenty of these rigs!   :grin:

In the 1960's and 70's you could find a few black-over-red paint jobs in other parts of the country, but it was rare.  For example Madison Township, Ohio (Montgomery County, near Dayton) purchased a 1966 Pirsch pumper painted black-over-red.  MTFD wasn't trying to copy Chicago, it just so happened that the pumper was a demo that had been displayed at the IAFC conference that was held in Chicago that year.  Pirsch decided to paint the rig in Chicago colors for the convention.

Advertising gimmicks can work really well at times.  The entire lime green/high visibility paint issue was thought up as a way to boost sales at Ward LaFrance.  This sales experiment was conceived in their advertising department.  WLF had an eye doctor say that the color was more visible at night.  No scientific study was put into this claim, it is simply based on how the eye and brain view and interpret color at various light levels.  Nobody went out and did any kind of testing to show that this color was actually safer or more visible.  Unfortunately, in what I feel was one of the greatest frauds ever perpetrated on the American fire service, the idea caught on.  To this day many people believe that this color is "safer" even though no testing has ever been undertaken that would verify the claim.

So, as far as I'm concerned, paint 'em red!

Steve

[Box 2565]

Aberdeen, Ohio
1953 Reo/AFD
500 GPM - 750 Tank
Steve Hagy photo.

[Buckeye 53]

Middletown, OH  E-82
Butler Co.
01/2009 Sutphen Monarch Rescue Pumper
1500 / 1000
HS 4517
John Denney Photo
1st time out in 2009 - Feels great to get one that's all red

[Buckeye 53]

Fairfield Twp, OH  E-219
Hamilton, OH - Butler Co.
1984  Sutphen
2006 RPI Rehab
1500/750
HS 1860
John Denney Photo

[Buckeye 53]

Fairfield Twp, OH  E-212
Hamilton, OH - Butler Co.
1996  Sutphen
1500/750
HS 3202
John Denney Photo

[Buckeye 53]

Fairfield Twp, OH  Quint 211
Hamilton, OH - Butler Co.
2002  Sutphen
1500/400/75'
HS 3625 - MT 1287
John Denney Photo

[Buckeye 53]

Fairfield Twp, OH  E-211
Hamilton, OH - Butler Co.
2008 Sutphen
1500/500
HS 4356
OK, so the Chief here is an Ohio State Fan 
The memorial names are locals and other area FF's + FDNY & Charleston, SC   
John Denney Photos

[FiremanRW]

Moulton, TX VFD Parade Truck
1955 Ford F750/Simms 500/250

[FiremanRW]

Waco, TX FD Aerial 1
1987 E1 Hurricane 110'

[FiremanRW]

Waco, TX FD Reserve Aerial 11
1979 Mack 100’

[FiremanRW]

McGregor, TX VFD Unit 1
1977 Ford F750/Boardman 750/500 F#2225

[Engine33Truck]

While this question maybe obvious to many but anyway How did red become the primarly traditional color of fire engines? Fire itself is more than less an orange color so I doubt it has anything to do with that. My only other guess is red might catch someones eye when they are rushing to a fire.

Also why do some FD's have black painted the drivers compartment or whatever you call it?

Last 1 reason I've heard FD's began using lighter colored engines are really easier to see especially at night. Do you think it works?

The way I've always been told is that when motorised apparatus were first invented, vehicles were mostly black, as Henry Ford stated: "People can have the Model T in any color, so long as its black.".  Personal vehicles were all black, while commercial trucks usually had a black cab with a dull silver or grey body, execept the milk man's vehicle which was white and blue lol.  So red would stand out like a sore thumb, so would white and grey.  Other colors like kelly green, which was used by Potomac Fire Company of Westernport, MD since 1934 would stand out as well.  Personally I never understood black, the color seems pointless as you can't see it at night, though red seems black at night.  Now lime green and stupid "safety" colors like that, no.  I agree with Box2565, that's the greatest fraud of the American Fire Service.  I can tell you first hand, its no more visible.  Red sticks out just as well.  Personally I like the white over red scheme.  This photo is what happens when you get bored when the second out piece beats the engine home.

[Engine33Truck]

The current craze for black-over-red comes out of the use of that color combination in Chicago.  Chicago F.D. began using black, cloth tops on their chief's cars in the 1930's.  When they began ordering closed cab apparatus a decision was made to paint the top of the cab black to match the automobiles.  That color scheme was also widely used in the suburban areas in Illinois and Indiana.  Living where you do I'm sure you see plenty of these rigs!   :grin:

In the 1960's and 70's you could find a few black-over-red paint jobs in other parts of the country, but it was rare.  For example Madison Township, Ohio (Montgomery County, near Dayton) purchased a 1966 Pirsch pumper painted black-over-red.  MTFD wasn't trying to copy Chicago, it just so happened that the pumper was a demo that had been displayed at the IAFC conference that was held in Chicago that year.  Pirsch decided to paint the rig in Chicago colors for the convention.

So, as far as I'm concerned, paint 'em red!

Steve

Black over red seems to be gaining popularity in the "far east".  Ridgeley, WV, New Creek, WV, and Smithers, WV all use black over red rigs.  So do certain elements of Wincester, VA; which New Creek's color scheme copies them, as NC's asst chief is a Wincester firefighter.  Raphine, VA uses it as well.  Personally I think it just looks better than all red.  Photo by me is by me of Smithers' Engine 67 in a parade in Oak Hill, WV.  It appears as if they're not running their lights, but their strobes and I did it with an iphone, which you often can only see a think, transleuscant band of light representing the strobe.

[Engine33Truck]

Say "NO" to black:

I mean, if this weren't on a brightly lit parade route and it wasn't running red (as in it was on scene), would you really see it?