New fire engines' color almost invisible

Dear editor,

New fire engines — maybe! Optics provide insights to safety. (Crestview Police Department) cars are equipped with "blue lights" to be more visible. Read again our April 15 front-page story, "Increasing traffic causes accident surge." Next, look at "Fire station gets new engines" (in the same edition). 

Our new (Crestview Fire Department) engine is red and the article indicates black will be an included color.

Why? Black is a color that research has shown for years to be a causal factor in higher vehicle accident rates.

Take a minute and look at the front-page picture. Your eyes will tell you that 50 percent of our CFD engines are not clearly visible, because it appears to be black.

A study by the Dallas FD in the 1990s confirmed; "multiple-vehicle accidents may be as much as three times greater for red or red/white fire trucks compared to lime-yellow/white trucks."

Today, we are 20 years past that study.

We all know that there will not be a real solution to Crestview's traffic challenge within the seven-year span of our new engine lease. The challenge Chief (Tony) Holland faces is his willingness to place his first responders in harm's way by using the wrong can of paint.

BOB HOLLINGSHEAD

Crestview 

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New fire engines' color almost invisible