UK Fire Engine Study controversy

[Guest]

, taxpayer $$ waste everywhere....

Alarm bells ringing over report on fire engine colour

The Scotsman

U.K. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has commissioned a report to discover whether fire engines should be red.

The two-year study will also examine whether sirens make the right noise and if red fire engines are easy enough to see.

The Fire Brigade Union has condemned the research, which is estimated to cost around £10,000, as a "pointless exercise". One official said taxpayers' money was being spent to work out if "wah-wee" was a better noise than "wee-wah".

Researchers from Mr Prescott's office are expected to take trips abroad to see fire engines in other countries, even though red has been the favoured colour around the world for decades.

In Britain, the use of a bright red livery dates back to at least the formation of London's Metropolitan Fire Brigade in the 1860s.

The new project, which applies to England's 4000-strong fleet of fire engines, was defended by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister because the last review was in the 1990s.

But a union spokesman said: "This is an astonishing way to be spending public money.

"I'm sure the Government must hope the research comes back and says 'red' or they will have to spend millions of pounds respraying 4000 fire engines. What does colour or sound matter when you are faced with fire engines being cut and stations being closed?"

[Guest]

anyone who knows prescott knows he's trying to save money for all the pies he scoffs