History lesson: The Department continued to expand, with new additions such as ambulances, chemical rigs, floodlight wagons, and smoke ejectors. The Fire Commissioner at the time, Albert Goodrich, had a nautical background and decided that all fire apparatus in the City of Chicago should feature at least one red light on the left side of the vehicle and a green light on the right, a lighting scheme that is still in place today. By this point, the city had expanded to 28 battalions, so the battalions were then grouped into six larger districts. Battalion chiefs received new Model "A" Fords, painted red on the bottom and black on top (the black tops were the result of the material used for the cars' roofs, which could not be painted). This black-and-red paint scheme has also carried on through today. info from : http://everything2.com/node/1812187 enjoy. will