the way they have always been? Trainings have changed and so has the gear we wear. It's not the color of trucks that matter it is the personal in them that make them look good or bad. Be safe out there!
Likely, and I hope I don't sound like a Socialist, but things would be much more organized and easier to identify if fire trucks were red, cops blue, medics yellow, etc etc. But since this won't happen and would be too expensive to redo, any BRIGHT color for emergency vehicles is ideal. I have photographed hundreds of apparatus from the US and around the world and they come in all shapes, COLORS, and sizes. All beautiful...and purposeful.