In an emergency, youB次元官网网址檒l hear sirens and see flashing lights, but the colour of the emergency vehicle falls to the whim of the municipality, as demonstrated by the rainbow of fire trucks seen across Greater Victoria.
Oak Bay, Langford, Saanich, View Royal, Highlands and Esquimalt stuck to the traditional red, which has several rumoured origin stories of its own. Some speculate that red paint was either the cheapest or most expensive, while others suggest in the early 1900s that most Ford vehicles were black, so red stuck out.
Since then, most fire departments have stuck with red, or a colour scheme that includes it.
B次元官网网址淭he Sidney Fire Department emergency apparatus were originally red and white until 2002 when we purchased a new ladder truck,B次元官网网址� said Sidney Deputy Fire Chief Mike Harman in an email. He said after that, a committee specialized the truck to change the colour scheme. B次元官网网址淔rom that point on all new apparatus were red and black. We get a lot of compliments on the colour of our apparatus from people visiting.B次元官网网址�
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Other departments followed suggestions of a 1960s study that said red wasnB次元官网网址檛 the easiest colour for the human eye to see, especially in low light. Instead, a bright lime-yellow colour, fluorescent orange or white would be better options.
The Victoria Fire Department followed the studyB次元官网网址檚 suggestion in 1969, and switched from red to B次元官网网址渟afety yellow.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭he department thought it would be more visible, and be in less traffic accidents,B次元官网网址� explained Deputy Fire Chief Dan Atkinson. B次元官网网址淎s you progress through time, we have much better technology in regards to reflective paint and lights. Now you could have a jet black fire truck that would light up like a Christmas tree at night.B次元官网网址�
Atkinson said that despite the technological advances, the yellow colour stayed.
B次元官网网址淚n an interest of preserving history a lot of departments went back to their traditional red, but the Victoria Fire Department chose to stay yellow as it became a defining part of the department,B次元官网网址� he said, B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 unique to the region.B次元官网网址�
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Atkinson added that the only other region with the same lime-yellow-on-white colour scheme as VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 was in Hawaii.
Colwood switched to white fire trucks for the same reason in 1964.
B次元官网网址淲hite was the most visible, and it stuck,B次元官网网址� said ColwoodB次元官网网址檚 Assistant Chief Greg Chow, adding that Delta and Cowichan also have white engines. B次元官网网址淵ou can find them in any colour though, IB次元官网网址檝e seen them grape purple down in the States.B次元官网网址�
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