The actual answer for why firetrucks are red: > Before firefighting was a paid profession, most communities were served by volunteer fire departments. These fi

The actual answer for why firetrucks are red: > Before firefighting was a paid profession, most communities were served by volunteer fire departments. These firemen didn't have much money to spend on upkeep, and at the time red was the least expensive color of paint. > Red wasn't the only color used, however. Before it merged with the force in Manhattan, the Brooklyn Fire Department painted its apparatus a two-tone green to distinguish them from the red apparatus of the Metropolitan Fire Department. Today, there are still different colored fire engines, but red is the most common color out of tradition. [0] http://www.pbs.org/wnet/heroes/primer/primer2.html http://www.pbs.org/wnet/heroes/primer/primer2.html