Asked Siri: Why are fire trucks red?

[RgrF]

[spoiler=answer]
just because
[/spoiler]

[Speedy]

Makes sense.

[davester]

Siri is your dad.

[neophyte]

Siri is not my Dad. My Dad gave me that exact explanation of why fire engines are red back in the late 1950s. So, maybe Siri is a recent clone of my Dad.

But he doesn't sound like Siri. At all.

[Racer X]

more and more are shifting to that safety acid yellow/green.

[Buzz]

Racer X wrote:
more and more are shifting to that safety acid yellow/green.

We live in a city formerly famous for "that safety acid yellow/green" fire trucks... then, several years ago there was a local referendum that ended in the fire trucks going back to red as the aging fleet was replaced. The replacement started with five new red trucks, and a couple of the newer remaining vehicles were repainted red. Interestingly, one of the most compelling reasons for the change was that people kept trying to hail the battalion chiefs' cars, thinking they were taxi cabs. Those in charge of the referendum used the argument to us citydwellers that the advancement in traffic control, and directional siren and blinking light technology was more than enough to trump the brighter yellow color of the old rigs. IIRC, they phased the yellow trucks in over about a ten year period, then we had about another fifteen years of all yellow, then they phased us back to red. I'm pretty sure there are still a couple of yellow rigs stashed around for shiggles or whatnot, and are only seen for washings and emergencies when the regular red equipment is not enough.

Curious to see how the battle of the fire engine colors plays out nationwide.

Siri just tells it like it is.
==

[decay]

"for no good reason" is more accurate, non?