In Japan blue and green definitions are not always as in Europe. In fact the main difference is with the trafic lights: in Japan they are called "blue yellow and red" and the truth is that the lamps are actually kind of turquoise, which you could call a mix of blue and green. I guess that the expression "green light" for unaware Japanese people must sound obscure. On the opposite, I never heard Japanese people use the expression "blue light".
Speaking about trafic lights, in France they are called "red orange and green" and in Italy "red yellow and green".
The egg yalk is also called "yellow" in French and "red" in Italy.
Speaking about the initial question about a red or orange helmet, one alternative is that the speaker is used to an environment where helmets are simply called orange by habit, even if the actual color were a bit different.