Michigan Fire Trucks: Red/Blue Lights

[LRGJr72]

Many municipalities in Michigan have "public safety agencies." Especially in several of Detroit's more affluent northern suburbs (Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Berkley, Farmington, Bloomfield Hills, Canton Township, Fraser, Grosse Pointe city, Grosse Pointe Woods). This means their police and fire operations are a singular team. Public safety officers are cross-trained in law enforcement, firefighting and rescue. They have higher salaries. But these agencies are afforded with far greater staff flexibility and responsiveness. While under the public safety agency arrangement there are obviously still two separate vehicle fleets for different functions (patrol cars versus firefighting/rescue vehicles). But both fleets are technically police and fire vehicles. Hence the presence of red/blue flashers on Berkley's fire trucks. No idea if there are any other fire vehicle lights like this in Michigan.

 

[LineSpotter]

28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution - "Law enforcement vehicles shall only have blue lights, fire/rescue vehicles shall only have red lights.....because everything else is stupid"




The first fire department I worked for had split red/blue on some of their fire apparatus, no one could explain why it had been changed other than someone in FMO liked the red/blue. After that one series of vehicle purchases, everything went back to all red.

Here in NM its become a free for all with city/state owned utility & maintenance vehicles having more red/blue lights and often better lighting than many emergency vehicles. It's pretty absurd actually.

 

[Phillyrube]

28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution - "Law enforcement vehicles shall only have blue lights, fire/rescue vehicles shall only have red lights.....because everything else is stupid"




The first fire department I worked for had split red/blue on some of their fire apparatus, no one could explain why it had been changed other than someone in FMO liked the red/blue. After that one series of vehicle purchases, everything went back to all red.

Here in NM its become a free for all with city/state owned utility & maintenance vehicles having more red/blue lights and often better lighting than many emergency vehicles. It's pretty absurd actually.

Yea. And cops aren't allowed to run Q2s or Rotorays.....

 

[badbrad]

In canada police have red- blue, snow plows blue - yellow, tow trucks blue - yellow - 4way flashers in Lightbar red, ambulances red - white,
Funeral hurse purple, everyone is confused no one pulls over or slows down. Slow Down - Move over laws in place, makes no difference.

 

[Sparky_911]

I've noticed the red/blue trend starting here as well. Our vollie depts have always been r, r/w, r/b, mostly because that's what came on the used trucks they bought. Now the big paid dept has r/w bars up front, red beacons out back (no more amber) and the body lights are a mix of r/b. They even retro fitted the older rigs' body lights. I thought maybe nfpa changed something but I can't find anything on it. And they are just fd. Our airport is dual fd/ps and runs all red on fire, r/b on pd, I think that's FAA rules though.

 

[Nolines]

Supposedly they have to have red and blue if they bought the truck with a federal grant, at least that's what I've been hearing down here in s fla cause the trucks are showing up with that combination

 

[JazzDad]

...

Here in NM its become a free for all with city/state owned utility & maintenance vehicles having more red/blue lights and often better lighting than many emergency vehicles. It's pretty absurd actually.

It really is crazy. You never know if it is an emergency vehicle, or just someone shoveling up a dead critter from the side of the road. At least it seems there is red to the front only on real emergency vehicles.

 

[LRGJr72]

Supposedly they have to have red and blue if they bought the truck with a federal grant, at least that's what I've been hearing down here in s fla cause the trucks are showing up with that combination

Where in Florida? I know that Broward County Fire Rescue has some blue lights getting mixed in with red. But they are administered by the Broward Sheriff.

 

[Nolines]

You are correct Broward county fire, also Margate, and Hollywood has one I don't remember who else at this time.

 

[RCMoeur]

Another sign of the Apocalypse?

I've live in Arizona all my life, but started regularly driving across the US about 20+ years ago. In AZ, emergency services run red/blue all directions + white & amber. But it was initially surprising to see all-blue in some areas, as it didn't match my preconceptions.

 

[Phillyrube]

Yea. And cops aren't allowed to run Q2s or Rotorays.....

 

[MRFD715]

It's really interesting as to how vastly different every state is for emergency vehicle lighting. I will admit that I'm not very old but I can only ever remember red and blue on fire apparatus here in Iowa. In the past couple of years my FD has updated a couple trucks and the replacemets came from states that only use red and white for FD so now we're the odd ones out around here with no blue on a couple pieces. Heck it wasn't that many years ago that they changed the law so that Law Enforcement could run blue, they used to be red only.