The Yellowknife Fire Division is modernizing its fleet, with a shift towards high contrast color schemes. The new red and black scheme, with retroreflective material to enhance nighttime visibility, has been implemented on three new vehicles; an Administrative Pickup, a Command Vehicle, and an Ambulance.
The division hopes that moving away from their traditional green and white color scheme will help strengthen public recognition and create a stronger, more unified emergency presence across the community.
In Yellowknife’s northern climate, visibility can change rapidly, making clear identification of emergency vehicles a necessity. Red builds on long-standing associations with fire and emergency response, and its combination with black presents a modern and professional identity that residents can easily recognize.
“The new design strengthens public recognition, but more importantly, these vehicles represent a continued investment in operational readiness and firefighter safety,” said Fire Chief Jason Arns.
Each of the new vehicles also have upgraded capabilities, with high-intensity emergency lighting, updated sirens, and reflective markings.
Existing emergency vehicles will live out the rest of their operational lifespan but not be updated to the new color scheme, instead having the new colors applied to their replacements.
