Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Red Or Something Else?

The Kansas City, MO Fire Department is poised to merge with MAST and essentially take over ambulance services in May 2010. There are many important issues that will come up during the merger/takeover, but here is a really important one...

Red ambulances or something else? You make the call...

A sampling of local liveries for your consideration...pictures snatched from various websites, except the last two which are mine.

5 comments:

Lesa said...

I vote for the next to the last one!

Capt. Schmoe said...

All white with a medium blue stripe.

Lesa said...

I like where it still says MAST...

Ann T. said...

Dear The Observer,
I like the bottom one for looks, (almost vintage, right?) but I've heard that red is not as good for visibility, and that's important.

So, I want the one that's loaded with the most features and provides the maximum safety in fog and rainy dark. (Thanks to Capt. Schmoe for the 'fog' post, which scared the vapor out of me.) Also it should be fast and maneuverable.

So I think it would be yellow (and a spaceship), but maybe my information on the safest color is out of date.

You should probably also know that I have a very functional idea of transportation, which many people find deflating . . . no Mustangs in my history ...

Ann T.

The Observer said...

Lesa--So good to hear from you! I want it to say MAST too, but I thought I'd have a bit of fun with the rumors floating around about red ambulances.

Capt Schmoe--I rather like your idea. If this moves on to fruition, it will be the start of a new tradition. Kansas City MO Fire Dept has never done EMS before. MAST has always been red on white. Perhaps a blue stripe on the rig like the one in the very small picture, the yellow rig with the blue stripe--which is reflective--very cool. Only, in white, and cross hatched on the back, which is very "in" now.

Ann T.--You're right--red is almost invisible at night. I'd say emergency vehicles rely much more on lights for visibility now. A couple of our suburban departments run yellow rigs; one, Grandview, is changing over to red. KCMO went through a lime green stage but is back to red. I've seen pics--ugly! I don't know how manuverable a patient transport rig can be--one of TKC's commenters called ambulances "rolling bricks".

I don't know if the existing stock will roll as is until they wear out, be sold off, or repainted. One of many, many details...

Thanks to everyone for commenting.

The Observer