Fire trucks come in a variety of colors, but blue is a less common color for fire trucks. Most fire trucks are painted red or yellow for high visibility. However, some fire departments do use blue fire trucks for various reasons.
Why are fire trucks usually red?
The most common color for fire trucks is red. There are a few key reasons why red is the conventional color for fire trucks:
- Tradition – Red fire trucks have been used for over 100 years. Red was cheap paint pigment and provided high visibility before safety yellow became popular.
- Visibility – Red is easy to see from a distance during the day and night. This allows motorists to spot and yield to fire trucks responding to emergencies.
- Identification – The red color is instantly recognizable as a fire truck, which is important for right-of-way on the roads.
So in most cities, red fire trucks are the standard because of the tradition, visibility, and identification that the bright red color provides.
When are fire trucks yellow?
While red is the most popular, yellow fire trucks have become more common over the past few decades. There are a few reasons fire departments may opt for yellow fire engines and trucks:
- Visibility – Safety yellow provides even greater visibility than red, especially in low light conditions.
- Standards – NFPA 1901 standards recommend safety yellow for new apparatus to improve visibility.
- Style – Some departments use yellow trucks along with red trucks to differentiate types of apparatus.
So yellow fire trucks are becoming more popular for visibility. But red remains the most traditional color.
Are there blue fire trucks?
While rare, some fire departments do utilize blue fire trucks. Here are some of the reasons blue fire trucks may be used:
- Visibility – In some settings, blue provides good visibility. For example, near blue signage, buildings, or bridges.
- Water Supply – Some departments paint just their water tankers blue for quick identification.
- Style – Blue is occasionally used along with red to differentiate types of trucks.
So blue fire trucks are not common, but can be found in some departments for visibility, water supply identification, or stylistic reasons.
| Fire Truck Color | Percentage Use |
|---|---|
| Red | 70-80% |
| Yellow | 15-20% |
| Blue | 1-5% |
This table summarizes the estimated usage of different fire truck colors. As you can see, red is by far the most common, followed by yellow. Blue fire trucks make up only a small percentage of fire apparatus colors.
Examples of blue fire trucks
While rare overall, here are a few examples of fire departments that do operate blue fire trucks:
- Los Angeles County Fire Department – Uses blue trucks along with other colors to differentiate types of apparatus.
- Jersey City Fire Department – Uses a blue truck for their foam tanker.
- Toronto Fire Services – Utilizes light blue trucks for their rescue units.
- Alaska fire departments – Sometimes uses blue for visibility against snow.
So blue fire trucks can be found, but are specially designated apparatus in most departments rather than the standard.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the vast majority of fire trucks are red for tradition, visibility, and identification. But some fire departments are shifting to yellow for even greater visibility and recognition. Blue fire trucks are rare and only make up a very small percentage of fire apparatus. Blue is only utilized for visibility in special situations or to designate special unit types. So while they do exist, blue fire trucks are uncommon compared to the conventional red fire engines used by most departments.
