Some of the reasons for not hearing the sirens on a fire truck would be how vehicles are designed these days. Vehicles are being designed to be as sound proof as possible. Also having the radio turned up too loud and as I have mentioned before, talking on the cell phone. Combine all these together, which does happen often, and drivers will never hear or see any emergency vehicles. Firefighters are trained on how to approach an intersection and there are even rules and regulations on this.
Intersections are dangerous places for a fire truck as the firefighters respond to emergency calls.
Extreme caution should be heeded at the intersection whether the fire truck has the red or green light. Fire truck drivers should always come to a complete stop at any red light and proceed only if and when all vehicles are at a complete stop. They should also approach an intersection with a green light with extreme caution. Not following these rules at every intersection could lead to disaster. Texas City Fire lost a Captain and a fire truck in October 1999.