Why Are Fire Trucks Red?
Why Are Fire Trucks Red?
As someone living in a metropolitan area, you must have seen fire trucks around, Sometimes driving with a siren blowing. I know you probably might be wondering why are fire trucks always everywhere? Why are they so big and even painted red? Well, I did this research to give you hat answer you are looking for. Not just will I tell you why fire trucks are red, but I will also tell you everything you need to know about fire trucks. Read to the end to learn everything in just one article.
What are fire trucks?
Fire trucks are vehicles that are used for fire emergencies. They serve as fire fighting equipment and are being used to transport firefighters, water, and other fire fighting equipment to the fire scene. They have special designs and are well suited for such operations. Sirens are usually built into fire trucks to alarm other road users whenever there is a fire emergency. They are also fitted with emergency lightings and modern communication devices.
Is a fire truck the same as a fire engine?
A lot has asked this question of people that are curious about fire trucks. Though most people think that fire trucks and fire engines are the same, the truth is that they are not entirely the same. There is a huge difference between a fire truck and a fire engine.
A fire truck is a vehicle that has very large ladders which look like a crane. The ladder extends from the back of the truck, and it has water pump equipment in front of the ladder that pumps water out whenever there is a fire emergency. It is used to pump water towards the fire while maintaining a certain distance away from the fire. A fire truck consist of the following components:
- An aerial hydraulic ladder
- A set of ground ladders of different sizes
- Ventilation Equipment
- Search and Rescue equipment
A fire engine Is a vehicle equipped with a hose, water tanks, and pump. It is used in fighting fire during emergencies. It is quite different from a fire truck as it does not have an aerial ladder, but rather it has a huge water tank at the back. In a fire engine, the water is being sprayed by the firefighters using hoses of different sizes depending on the A fire engine consist of
- Water tank which can be 500 to 1000 gallons
- Water pump
- Different types of hoses
Importance of Fire Trucks
The importance of fire trucks can not be exhausted. Fire trucks have been of great use in fire emergencies, and it has helped save a lot of lives and properties. Indeed, it is one of the most valuable inventions in the world.
Some of the importance of fire trucks are:
- It helps to prevent the spread of fire during fire incidents. Firefighting trucks help control the spread of fire to areas not affected by the fire.
- Fire trucks are essential to smoother fire in dangerous areas and places with little access or passage. The aerial ladder can spread the water from a distance which can be effective in smothering the fire.
- It is used in extinguishing fire outbreaks at commercial locations or industrial areas
- It helps to rescue humans and properties from fire consumption.
- The aerial ladder is used to reach great heights during fire incidents. It can extinguish fire from storey buildings while positioned from a safe point in the ground.
- Fire trucks can be used in situations of riot control. It is used to fire water canyons at rioters.
- It is used in taking water to areas of drought or disaster. Water can be supplied to this area using a fire truck.
- Fire trucks are also used to push unused materials or wash away surfaces using the hose.
Why are fire trucks red?
This is one of those questions a lot of people ask about fire trucks. Isn’t it amazing that almost all the fire trucks you find on the road have the same color? There must be something significant about it. Well, we are going to talk about it here.
Many people have proposed different theories on why fire trucks are painted red but the most probable of all is that fire trucks are painted red to make them stand out from other vehicles. For an emergency vehicle, fire trucks need to have that special ability to be recognized from a distance. This helps road uses and other vehicles to make way for the truck. Red is a color used to signify an emergency. It is bright-colored and is easy to spot from afar. Red gives the notion that something urgent needs to be attended to. Also, red is the least common among passenger vehicles. These are some of the most common reasons why fire trucks are red.
Other special features of fire trucks are the long stripes of reflective patterns. These are high-visibility reflective patterns with a high contrast that enables people to spot the truck from afar. Fire trucks become the hope of people when an emergency happens. This explains the need for high visibility while on the road because they need to get to where they want to go as quickly as possible.
Fire trucks are also equipped with blaring sirens and hazard lights that are always on whenever there is a fire emergency. This allows motorists, commuters, and passersby to be alert that there is an emergency.
During the design of fire trucks, priority is given to anything that can serve as an alarm or alert to people. This is done to allow for visibility and alertness.
Why are some fire trucks yellow?
If you’ve been seeing red fire trucks all the time and you suddenly come across a yellow fire truck, you will be prompted to ask this question. Of course, it feels unusual because the regular color is red. But let’s see why some fire trucks are painted yellow?
Is it out of conduct to paint fire trucks yellow? NO, it is just as good as painting it red. Like I discussed earlier, there are lots of postulates and theories brought up by people when it comes to the colors fire trucks choose. But let us talk about the color yellow.
Yellow color is one of the colors that have very high visibility. It is easier to see yellow color, especially on a dull day.
Based on research from the American psychological association, the human eye can detect greenish-yellow colors better at low light conditions. This explains why you are most likely to see a yellow color quickly at night. Red trucks are also studied to be more likely to be involved in an accident resulting from low visibility than yellow.
This is a new adoption, which is why you may have seen some fire trucks painted yellow recently. Other emergency vehicles are likely to be painted yellow as it has proven to be more perfect for emergency conditions than red.
However, whether red or fluorescent yellow, the main aim of a fire truck’s color is to enhance visibility.
What does it signify when a fire truck’s light is on, but the siren is off?
This is a common scenario where fire trucks are being used. You will see the lights on and blinking, but the siren is off. This is a sign that the fire truck has reached its destination. The siren is put off to stop the harsh sound. Fire trucks have their siren on whenever they are on the roads and heading for an emergency. It is not ideal to leave the siren on after reaching the emergency location.
However, the lights are kept on to ensure that people still see the vehicle and are aware that something is going on and should come any further.
Are other colors good for fire trucks?
Fire trucks are needed in cities and even used in large organizations where industrial activities and the risk of fire hazards is high. it is an essential part of any working system. there must always be a fire truck on standby to cater to emergency situations
Fire trucks can be red or yellow. The color selection for a fire truck is made to allow for easy visibility. red and yellow seem to be the best colors for this purpose. Colors like blue might be visible but reds are much better than them.
Conclusion
Fire trucks are emergency trucks that are employed during fire incidents. They are essential for the control of fire. As important as fire trucks can be, utmost attention is being given when building these trucks. They are given special features to make the work of saving lives and properties much easier. We hope this article was useful to you.
