Fire Engine Safety and "High Visibility"

[RWC130 594]

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I just can't see someone saying

"Officer, I didn't see the Fire Engine"

[Oswegowind 17]

Dennis Sabre right?

Love the painted rims...otherwise it seems like a useful piece of equipment and it is highly visible although not pretty!

[AFS1970 504]

This sure isn't a pretty rig, but it does accomplish the goal of visability. I noticed the painted rims also, as well as the lime yellow lug nuts. Even the fuel cap is painted in a contrasting color. This is aparently part of a total concept of visability.

I think it is also very interesting that England is an older country than America, and probably hangs on to traditions even more than we do, yet they have embraced this or similar color schemes on Fire, EMS & Police apparatus, while here in America we see comparatively few rigs with high visibility markings.

[Monty 35]

Here's a bunch of images from a UK Photo site.

Actually, there is very little concept of tradition in the UK fire service, you rarely hear of generations of firefighters - for many it is just a job (a very good job). No parades, clam bakes, bingo nights, no bars (I know in the 70's the bigger stations had social clubs but I doubt there are any left now with the attitude to alcohol).

There are virtually no volunteer companies if any. Fire cover is provided by the local authority, usually at the County level. All firefighters are paid, some full time, others as retained (paid on call) who are paid for training and turning out.

The central authority (national government) will set certain rules / standards (response times, training standards etc) and leave it up to the local authority to implement. I always remember the engines being red (who knows why?) but I guess maybe in the 80's adding the hi-vis although it is not uniform across all brigades.

You get the picture

[Guest Firediver]

Studies have shown that a human with normal color vision picks up orange and yellow in their perriferal vision and swerves AWAY from them. The cheverons(upsidedown V) on the back of rigs also serves this purpose by starting in the middle and angles down and away so one will swerve away from the rig instead of into it with a V shaped pattern.

[JBE 328]

The Brits, and Europe in general, have totally different ideas when it comes to apparatus. They seem imho, to go for what is more functional and not as, ummm, flashy as we do out here.