By Neil Drysdale
STV.tv
ABERDEEN, Scotland — Jim Thorburn was initially sceptical when Grampian Fire Service announced in 1998 that they were planning to introduce an all-white fleet of fire appliances. The fact that the news broke on April Fool’s Day hardly inspired confidence.
Yet now, 15 years later, following the creation of the single Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Thorburn is equally perplexed about the unitary authority’s intention to phase out the white engines and replace them with a traditional red livery in the future. After all, the original decision was based on a scientific study which demonstrated that people found white and yellow the easiest colours to see at high speeds — and red one of the hardest.
In which light, Thorburn, who worked with the Grampian force from 1975 to 2005, has expressed concern about the safety implications of the switch.
Full story: Former fireman questions loss of Grampian’s ‘safer’ white appliances