While the lighter colours are more visible its a fact that more people are taught as kids that firetrucks are red, so its only natural for them to expect red fire trucks coming down the road. We have no end of trouble getting through traffic because nobody wants to give way to the council!!
Interesting allot of country schools are teaching their children fire trucks are white. Our local schools (hills face zone) only paints white trucks when they visit and bring their art work to the station. Its a matter of culture. Also our community see white trucks everywhere - each week on the raod for training, numerous times a week when responding and also at our Groups numerous PR events - they know when they go down the hill they might see a red truck, but they know they have white trucks!
As for being a council truck when responding - mmm thats a local population problem, what do they think white police cars are - taxi's and white ambulances - plumbers vans?
It's just a conviniant excuss for the public to not move.
As for standing out, when on strike teams interstate it was interesting to get the feedback of other services (both career and volunteer) who loved our white trucks, the fact they stood out and were alot more noticable.
Then if we look at traditions it was firemen - now it's fire fighters and the services are better for it, so tradition has it's place but should not stand in the way of research and technology and our safety.
