Insignia
In the early days of North American
fire departments, orders were given to the troops by officers through the use of
a large brass device called a “Bugle” or speaking trumpet. Many Fire
Departments, including CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department, use the
"bugle" insignia to denote rank. The insignia can be found on the uniform shirt
collar and on the front of the structure helmet.
Helmet Color
CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire
Department utilizes a color-and-marking system so that the rank of firefighters
can be identified by their helmets.
White - Chief Officer
- Red - Fire Captain
- Yellow with red stripes - Engineer
- Yellow with black stripes - Firefighter
Paramedic firefighter helmets are marked with a
rocker indicating "paramedic"
The firefighter's names will be on the back of the helmet. The
station assignment will be centered on each side of the helmet.