Have you ever wondered why firetrucks are often painted red?
It’s because red paint was once the most affordable color for departments to purchase during the Great Depression!
As time marched on and the nation’s financial situation improved, the red paint had become a recognizable symbol of fire protection for communities, so the color stuck around.
Actually, black was the most affordable color during the time when motorized fire trucks starting to be produced (early 1900’s), red was one of the most expensive colors (there weren’t many).
There were two reasons that red was used.
1) Almost every vehicle of that era was black (being the cheapest color). Henry Ford used “Japan Black”. Red was chosen because of reason 2 and it would contrast black well.
2) At the time, every fire pump manufacturer painted their pumps red. This made red a more natural choice.
