What do the different colored fire helmets signify?
At Forest Grove Fire & Rescue we use helmet color to identify the roles and responsibilities of the individuals within our ranks. This is imperative on an emergency scene so that everyone from the most senior officer to the newest firefighter can quickly identify an individual in order to complete a task. White Helmets: Chief Officers, these individuals are members of the senior leadership team of our department. On large incidents these individuals may be in command of the entire incident or in other incident management system positions that are essential to supporting the Incident Commander. Red Helmets: Company Officers, these specifically trained and experienced individuals lead smaller groups of firefighters and may be in charge of small incidents such as car accidents or house fires. Yellow Helmets: Firefighters, these individuals range in experience and training and perform the hands on tasks involved with mitigating the emergency. Black Helmets: Support Personnel, these individ
