The Lime Yellow Experiment

firebuffkevin

firebuffkevin

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From Answers.COM

"The NYC fire department experimented with a few lime-green fire trucks to see if it would improve emergency response. After a year or so they concluded that it was actually worse than the red trucks because the public did not recognize the vehicle as it approached as an emergency vehicle because they were taught since childhood that fire trucks are RED.

Therefore, fire trucks continue to be RED because it would be too difficult to re-train the public to recognize a different color. Although the Green Goddesses (the fire trucks that are used when the fire department is on strike or otherwise incapacitated) are coloured a dark green."

From John Calderone

"In the early 1970's, Ward LaFrance created what was probably the most controversial issue ever to hit the apparatus field. By aggressively marketing a new color for fire apparatus, lime green, as being more visible and therefore safer, a wedge was driven into the fire service. Traditionalists stood behind the old standard red, while "progressive" fire service personnel preached the advantages of the new color. At one point, there were actually more apparatus being delivered in the new color than the traditional red. Many fire departments, both large and small, switched to the new color. But after about a decade, departments began to switch back to red. Many apparatus were repainted. Virtually every large department that had gone to the new color returned to red. Currently, few new apparatus are being delivered that are painted lime green."



Check out this link.  Move down past the pictures to the actual study that reports that there are far less accidents with lime green apparatus:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/limegreenfireappatatus/


It is my understanding that FDNY had 11 lime green engines in the early 80's

One  1980 ALF assigned to E 65

Picture of E 65 http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/3100861869_df09c51be4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/76277389%40N00/3100861869/&usg=__rNIQayupKRVZJOkjBVRu8QXz57M=&h=386&w=500&sz=189&hl=en&start=56&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=c-esB-LCmuum2M:&tbnh=100&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfdny%2Bengine%2B65%26start%3D54%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GGLL_en%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1



Ten 1981 Mack CF engines assigned to the following companies:

E 45, 58, 41, 85, 277 and maybe E 42.


Picture of E 58

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3327/3318169062_bfeb8992ae.jpg

Does anyone know the rest?????
 
Re FDNY lime yellow, not lime green, pumpers:

The first was a 1980 ALF to Engine 65. The ten others were all 1981 Mack CFs. They went to Engines 10 (later to Engine 4), 41, 42, 45, 46, 58, 85 (later to Engine 263 and later to Training), 94, 236 (later to Engine 73), 277 (later to NYC Department of Correction). The ones originally assigned to Engines 10, 45 and 46 were later repainted red, with white cabs.
 
I have a Code 3 Mack CF assigned to the Dept of Corrections. It is a white over blue rig with a blue tarp over the hose bed. Hope this helps :)
 
Color does play a key role in visual processing - all related to the visual spectrum (ROYGBIV) -that is why many police depts now have blue lights or a combination of blue and red lights on their cruisers since blue is more readily discernible than red.

Similarly white is generally not a good color for emergency vehicles in climates where you have snow since in a snow storm they tend to "blend in" and are not as readily identifiable.

With regard to sirens there has been quite an evolution over the years for auditory processing reasons.

I am not at all surprised by the conclusion that the lime-yellow or lime-green are somewhat safer than the traditional red based on accident reconstruction work that I have done over the years.  With that said I still like the traditional red!!
 
E-41
e41.jpg

E-45
e45.jpg

E-65
e65x.jpg


Bill D's !
 
The 1981 Mack CF pumper that went to the NYC Department of Correction (not "Corrections") was replaced in 2001 by a 1989 Mack CF/Ward 79 1000 gpm pumper, formerly Engine 288, repainted in Correction's white over blue colors, with a broad orange stripe.  A second 1989 Mack CF/Ward 79, ex-Engine 297, was transferred to Correction in 2004.
 
An earlier post mentioned one 1981 and two 1989 pumpers that had been transferred to the Department of Correction.  More recently, in January, 2009, a 1993 Seagrave 1000 gpm pumper (formerly Engine 329) was transferred to DOC.

 
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