You’ve made the decision to upgrade your existing fire rescue fleet or design a completely new one—that’s great! But your work isn’t over yet. Next, you need to choose the specific firefighter truck decals that will make your fleet stand out for all of the right reasons.
Luckily, there are professional emergency vehicle graphics design companies out there who will help make this process, and these decisions, a whole lot easier. As the only nationwide fleet graphics company dedicated to police, sheriff, fire rescue, security, and the public safety community, you’re in the right place when you come to us for help.
While we can take care of the design and installation of a number of emergency vehicle graphics, today we’ll focus specifically on custom firefighter decals for trucks.
How Are Firefighter Truck Decals Used and Why Are They Important?
Let’s begin by discussing the basics. How are firefighter truck decals used and what makes them so important?
They actually serve two important purposes.
For starters, they help you personalize your fleet. Unique decals make your fleet stand out and can display a variety of information and images of your choosing.
But at the same time, there are also a number of pieces of information legally required to be displayed on your vehicles. With the right firefighter truck decals, you can accomplish your style and your compliance goals all in one. (We’ll get to more on exactly what kind of styles and designs can be displayed in a moment)
Visibility Requirements
As for the compliance portion, the NFPA has certain visibility requirements that apply to “new automotive fire apparatus and trailers designed to be used under emergency conditions to transport personnel and equipment and to support the suppression of fires and mitigation of other hazardous situations.”
As such, the visibility requirements include:
- Reflective striping must cover 25% of the front of the apparatus. This striping must be a minimum of four inches tall.
- Reflective striping must cover 50% of the cab and body length of the apparatus. It must also be a minimum of four inches tall.
- For aerial apparatus, all outriggers must include reflective materials.
- At least 50% of the rear-facing vertical surfaces, visible from the rear of the apparatus, excluding any pump panel areas not covered by a door, must be equipped with retro-reflective striping. It needs to be in a chevron pattern sloping downward and away from the centerline of the vehicle at a 45° angle.
Why is Visibility So Important for Fire Trucks?
We’ve already discussed some of the visibility requirements. But it’s also worth noting what makes them a requirement in the first place! Fire trucks need to be highly visible for a number of reasons.
For starters, this helps other drivers see them in advance so they can get out of the way and let the fire truck get to an emergency. These large vehicles should also be highly visible to reduce the likelihood of collisions. In emergency situations, they also provide evidence that help is on its way. Finally, distinguishable colors and firefighter truck decals help civilians know where to turn for help.
Of course, you’ll want to be sure your decals align with all requirements from the NFPA. Beyond that, you are able to get creative with many aspects of the firefighter truck decals design process.
(Are you curious about adding lettering to your fire trucks? We explain the process in detail in this post)
Selecting the Right Firefighter Truck Decals for Your Fleet
Here are some of the ways you can customize your fleet with decals:
- Fire department name: This is an obvious choice for most departments. And it’s often one of the larger decals on many vehicles.
- Unit number: This is another straightforward option for what to include on your vehicles. It’s a helpful piece of information for civilians and fire rescue teams alike. These numbers help differentiate fire rescue vehicles from others in the same community when multiple vehicles respond to the same scene.
- City, town or village: While fire engines and trucks are usually responding to emergencies in the same city they’re based in, this isn’t always the case. There are times when more resources and teams come to help. During these events, displaying the city, town, or village the fire truck is from is a helpful piece of information.
- Quotes or sayings: Does your firehouse have a quote, saying, or motto the team operates under? Adding this to your fleet in an eye-catching font is a great way to help your vehicles stand out and to spread your message.
- Flags: Whether it’s the American flag, state flags, or others, including them in your firefighter truck decals is often a nice touch.
- Logos: These are another common option for custom firefighter decals for trucks. If you have an existing logo, a vinyl graphic can be made with this design. Alternatively, you can work with our graphics design team to create a new logo.
It’s important for fire trucks to be highly visible. While you often see them in the traditional bright red color, neon yellow/green is an increasingly popular option. It’s important to choose decals that contrast with the color of the vehicle. This helps the information on the decals stand out, while also creating a more streamlined and uniform look. In addition to the use of bright paint colors, reflective materials also help with visibility.
Your Next Steps
We’ve covered a lot up to this point. From your options for choosing firefighter truck decals to visibility requirements and more, you have a lot to think about. But like we said before, we are here to help. Our team has worked with every kind of emergency vehicle you can think of. And we’re ready to work our magic on your own fleet!
Curious to see some of our work? Head to this link to see some of our fire rescue kit photos to give you more inspiration for your own fleet.
Or, if you want to receive a quote, use this link to get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you!
