SFFD Green Light on Trucks

scannerboy02 · Oct 19, 2009

I was in San Francisco today and noticed for the first time that the SFFD trucks have a green flashing light on them similar to the Chicago Fire Department. As soon as I noticed this I started looking at all the SFFD units I saw and only noticed the green light on the trucks (not engines, medics, etc.). I know Chicago Fire's green lights go back to a history involving a chief and marine navigation, anyone know what SFFD's green lights are for?

Jay911 · Oct 19, 2009

Green lights in many departments (mainly those which have adopted the standards of Fire Ground Command) signifies a command post when it is illuminated or flashing.

rooivalk · Oct 19, 2009

Jay911 said:
Green lights in many departments (mainly those which have adopted the standards of Fire Ground Command) signifies a command post when it is illuminated or flashing.

Yup, that's what it is.

On a side note, I've been told that some FD's use the green light to signify that the aparatus has haz-mat capabilities.

Eng74 · Oct 19, 2009

With SFFD it is a light on the front of the Truck above the headlights, not the lightbar. I think it is a marine nav thing. What other department has the red and white on the helmets for the truckies? SFFD is an east coast department on the west coast.
San Francisco Fire Apparatus - EMTBravo West

rdale · Oct 19, 2009

Eng74 said:
With SFFD it is a light on the front of the Truck above the headlights, not the lightbar. I think it is a marine nav thing.

What sort of marine ops do the trucks do?

Jay911 · Oct 19, 2009

It's in the front "middle zone" emergency lighting. (Lighting packages are grouped into "upper", "middle", and "lower" zones these days - we can switch them on/off independently, for various reasons.)

This does look like it was done similarly to how CFD (Chicago) is doing it. So it's not a command light.

I wonder if these aerials were originally destined for Chicago but were returned and then resold to SF?

No reason to be that way about it, Mr. Dale - makes about as much sense as the explanation from Chicago, but that's the lore, that one of the chiefs in the early 20th century decided since he was a boating buff to make the warning lights green on the starboard side of his fire trucks.

Eng74 · Oct 19, 2009

I'll ask one of the SFFD guy when I am up there for the next 49ers game in two weeks.

rdale · Oct 19, 2009

Jay911 said:
but that's the lore, that one of the chiefs in the early 20th century decided since he was a boating buff to make the warning lights green on the starboard side of his fire trucks.

That makes more sense. Thanks, I didn't see that posted anywhere.

Eng74 · Oct 19, 2009

He wasn't a boating buff but ran tug boat company. That is also how they got their black over red paint. It was the same as his boats colors.

Chicago13 · Oct 19, 2009

Eng74 said:
He wasn't a boating buff but ran tug boat company. That is also how they got their black over red paint. It was the same as his boats colors.

According to all of the histories I've read, the black over red thing was because some time back in the 20's CFD purchased a bunch of Fords for their chiefs and the roofs of the cars were made of a material that couldn't be painted, so the roof had to remain black while the rest of the car was painted red. Since then all of CFD's vehicles, with the exception of their current ambulances have been painted in this scheme.

Also, the green light/red light combo is also used on Chicago's firehouses....the light on one side of the main firehouse doors is green while the one on the other side is red.

FFPM571 · Oct 19, 2009

The tradition of black roof on Chicago fire vehicles dates back to when the first motorized chiefs cars had a convertable roof. The roofs were always black but the buggies were painted red. Since most Chicago fire trucks were open cab until the early 1950's The chiefs sedans carried over this when the roofs were part of the vehicle. When the appratus started to come from the factory with roofs over the cab they painted the cab to match the chiefs cars. The red and green lights come from commissioner Corrigan who's family owned shipping lines on the Great lakes and he used the port and starboard for the rigs. This carried over to the stations.

SCPD · Oct 20, 2009

Eng74 said:
SFFD is an east coast department on the west coast.

One could say the same thing about the entire City of San Francisco. It does not at all feel like a western city when visiting. I'm not sure why or how this happened but I think many others would agree with my observation.

rooivalk · Oct 21, 2009

Exsmokey said:
One could say the same thing about the entire City of San Francisco. It does not at all feel like a western city when visiting. I'm not sure why or how this happened but I think many others would agree with my observation.

Probably from the gold rush folks in the 1840's moving from the East?

SFPD also operates more like an East Coast Dept, but now has a California/So. Cal style Police Chief?

Eng74 · Oct 21, 2009

rooivalk said:
Probably from the gold rush folks in the 1840's moving from the East?

SFPD also operates more like an East Coast Dept, but now has a California/So. Cal style Police Chief?

By the sound of it I bet he will not last too long. He wants to make too many changes and arrest people who break the law. But that is a whole differnet theing from the green lights on the Truck Companys.

sffire · Oct 22, 2009

The green light signifies a Truck Company. SFFD used to use the letter "T" on the front cab of trucks in the 1980s. The green lights replaced the "T".

scannerboy02 · Oct 23, 2009

sffire said:
The green light signifies a Truck Company. SFFD used to use the letter "T" on the front cab of trucks in the 1980s. The green lights replaced the "T".

Thank You.

JT-112 · Oct 27, 2009

rooivalk said:
Probably from the gold rush folks in the 1840's moving from the East?

Bingo.

San Francisco has a lot more history than most other California cities - LA is "new" compared to SF.

mdulrich · Oct 27, 2009

rdale said:
What sort of marine ops do the trucks do?

Any that the operator chooses to do, but only once and not for very long. :lol:

Mike

commstar · Nov 2, 2009

Just made a call to someone in the know- the green light denotes a Truck versus an Engine apparently serves as a non-verbal/visual cue so they can be told apart when arriving at a scene by the scene commander.

Onward,whole West coast/East coast Fire Department thing is fascinating bravado to me- how these departments view themselves.

Over the years I have watched and there seems to me to be some truth to different operational philosophy and how fires are attacked- from the outside with lots of water or more aggressively.

I was told years ago a member of an 'East Coast' Department in Alameda County that the difference between the two is "West Coast Departments save Foundations, East Coast Departments save Buildings".

There was also something about tying off their ladders when fully extended. As I recall, East Coasters don't, West Coasters do.

That said, SFFD clearly sees itself as an East Coast Agency, much like the SFPD.

Eng74 · Nov 13, 2009

Anyone using a 396XT to scann SFFD? I was up for the thrusday night game and it would lock up on SFFD A2 and then it pick up any active TG.

SFFD Green Light on Trucks

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