Fire engine

Firefighters, fires and the red truck that answers them. It shows a fire service vehicle, usually drawn side-on in red, often with a ladder; the exact artwork differs between phones and apps.

It is one of the original emoji from Japanese mobile phones, which already had a small set of emergency vehicles: this fire engine, the ambulance 🚑 and the police car 🚓. Japanese fire vehicles are painted a regulation vermilion red, the colour most of the world also links with firefighting.

People use it wherever fire crews come up: a news post about a fire, thanks to firefighters after a blaze nearby, a truck spotted in the street, a visit to the station, or a child's fire-themed birthday party.

Someone sent me 🚒. Is there a fire?

Almost certainly not; the words beside it tell you. An emoji alone is not how people raise an alarm, so treat 🚒 like any other picture and read the message.

Next to thanks or a firefighter's name it is respect. Next to "we saw one!" it is the literal truck. As a reply to a 🔥 or a selfie it is usually the old compliment joke: you're so hot the fire brigade is needed.