Friday, March 4, 2011

Yield to the Fire Truck!

As I was driving to Palatka the other day, I passed by a couple of fire stations.  You'll notice that there are stations along the roadside because of the obvious fire truck sign posted about 300 feet before the station, which are telling you to yield to a fire truck, should it come out of the driveway:






As I passed the second fire station, I started to notice that in fact the fire truck has no roof.  In fact, it really has no tank either.  The fireman is in an open cab and clearly, the most important construct of the fire engine is the ladder.  I started thinking... what year model is this fire truck?  I've never seen a real fire truck that looked like this.  Actually - this model fire truck dates back to the 1930's - possibly a Mack truck or a Ford:






I am not sure when this kind of DOT sign was first put into use, but I'm guessing with the mass production of highways and interstates in the US in the 1940's and 1950's, this sign was graphically designed and hasn't changed much since.  I'm not sure why, though.  The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) shows a number of fairly contemporary vehicles:





Horse and Buggy AND a golf cart.  Even the tractor looks to have an upgraded sign, with perspective no less.  But not the fire truck.  I think that it's interesting that most folks driving today, have never seen this fire truck in use - probably more so in a parade or in a museum, yet we all know it's a fire truck.

I would be very interest to read or learn about the history of these "public signs" - anyone know a good reference or book?



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4 comments:

  1. KevinMarch 4, 2011 at 9:56 AM

    I can't answer your question Weez - but I do commonly thing there are simply too many pointless signs that are nothing but a waste of money. I mean -- don't really large red trucks blazing down the road with ear-piercing sirens and flashing lights do a pretty decent job of getting one's attention? Does the sign really help? Just one example, but I think the vast majority of road signs are utterly pointless. "Watch out for falling rock" comes to mind.

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  2. jp_44March 4, 2011 at 12:44 PM

    LOL! Yeah - if you are watching for falling rocks, you are either #1 screwed because you are not watching the road, or #2 screwed because a large rock falling towards your car isn't going to feel good.

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  3. ClarissaMarch 4, 2011 at 9:21 PM

    I was going to comment when was the last time you saw elementary or middle school students crossing the street with briefcases, because that’s what I always thought this sign was: http://www.ussignsandsafety.com/SCHOOL-CROSSING-SIGN.html. But then I realized that they might be carrying books, so at least the fire engine sign is clear?

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  4. jp_44March 6, 2011 at 9:38 PM

    Haha - I thought they were carrying lunch boxes.

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