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Discontinued Operations - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	0 Months Ended		3 Months Ended									6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 04, 2012	Jun. 21, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013		Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Jun. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Income (Loss) from discontinued operations and disposal			$ 0.6us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxAttributableToReportingEntity	$ 0.2us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxAttributableToReportingEntity	$ 0.1us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxAttributableToReportingEntity	$ (0.2)us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxAttributableToReportingEntity	$ 0.4us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxAttributableToReportingEntity	[1]	$ (0.8)us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxAttributableToReportingEntity	$ (0.3)us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxAttributableToReportingEntity	$ 0.5us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxAttributableToReportingEntity		$ 0.7us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxAttributableToReportingEntity	$ (0.2)us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxAttributableToReportingEntity	$ (49.5)us-gaap_IncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationsNetOfTaxAttributableToReportingEntity
Severance costs														0.6fss_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationSeveranceCosts
Proceeds from sale agreement	110.0us-gaap_GainLossOnSaleOfBusiness	110.0us-gaap_GainLossOnSaleOfBusiness
Assets held for sale carrying value		121.1us-gaap_AssetsOfDisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperation
Fair value less cost to sell		97.6us-gaap_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationOtherAssets
Asset held for sale fair value		101.0us-gaap_AssetsHeldForSaleLongLivedFairValueDisclosure
Cost to sell assets held for sale		3.4fss_CostToSellAssetsHeldForSale
Impairment charges												23.5us-gaap_AssetImpairmentCharges
Escrow receivable			4.0us-gaap_EscrowDeposit										4.0us-gaap_EscrowDeposit			5.0us-gaap_EscrowDeposit
Increase in carrying value of asset held for sale									0.8fss_IncreaseDecreaseinCarryingValueofAssetsHeldforSale
Transaction cost									0.5fss_AdditionalCostToSellAssetsHeldForSale
Total loss on disposal									12.2us-gaap_DisposalGroupNotDiscontinuedOperationGainLossOnDisposal						34.7us-gaap_DisposalGroupNotDiscontinuedOperationGainLossOnDisposal
Escrow identified for general representations and warranties period													18 months
Remaining general escrow fund to be held													36 months
Escrow release			7.4fss_EscrowBalanceSubsequentRelease										7.4fss_EscrowBalanceSubsequentRelease
Loss before income taxes													(0.4)us-gaap_DiscontinuedOperationIncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationBeforeIncomeTax
Environmental remediation at the Pearland, Texas facility			1.3us-gaap_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationOtherCurrentLiabilities				1.4us-gaap_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationOtherCurrentLiabilities						1.3us-gaap_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationOtherCurrentLiabilities	1.4us-gaap_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationOtherCurrentLiabilities
Estimated product liability obligations			3.0us-gaap_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationOtherNoncurrentLiabilities				3.6us-gaap_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationOtherNoncurrentLiabilities						3.0us-gaap_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationOtherNoncurrentLiabilities	3.6us-gaap_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationOtherNoncurrentLiabilities
Federal Signal Technologies
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Loss before income taxes															(18.4)us-gaap_DiscontinuedOperationIncomeLossFromDiscontinuedOperationBeforeIncomeTax / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = fss_FederalSignalTechnologiesMember
Working Capital Adjustment
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
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Cash
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from sale agreement	82.1us-gaap_GainLossOnSaleOfBusiness / us-gaap_IncomeStatementBalanceSheetAndAdditionalDisclosuresByDisposalGroupsIncludingDiscontinuedOperationsAxis = us-gaap_CashMember
Escrow
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
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Other current assets [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Escrow receivable			$ 7.8us-gaap_EscrowDeposit / us-gaap_BalanceSheetLocationAxis = us-gaap_OtherCurrentAssetsMember										$ 7.8us-gaap_EscrowDeposit / us-gaap_BalanceSheetLocationAxis = us-gaap_OtherCurrentAssetsMember
[1] Income from continuing operations includes a tax benefit of $6.7 million associated with the release of valuation allowance previously recorded against the Company’s foreign tax credits, which would have begun to expire in 2015, following the completion of a tax planning strategy, as well as $1.2 million of restructuring charges.

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