FDNY leaders have ordered an East Village ladder company to remove the “Thin Red Line” flag after complaints from Democratic congressmen’s offices expressing concerns from constituents that the flag was too “political.” commanded.
Democratic Rep. Carlina Rivera’s staff sent an email to Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator Madison Hernandez on March 19 questioning whether Ladder 11 was violating department rules by displaying the flag. conveyed the concerns of voters.
Voters were told the flag was flown to “honor our fallen firefighters,” Rivera’s staff said in an email exchange obtained by Rivera. new york post. ”[H]But he brought up that the FDNY flag could have been used instead of a political symbol. ”
New York City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera and Ladder Company 11 holding a thin red line flag. (council.nyc.gov; X./@DC_Draino)
“It is his and our understanding that private political symbols are not allowed to be displayed on official vehicles,” said employee Lysander Rosario. “Can I see if there is a violation flag/symbol on Ladder 11?”
The “Thin Red Line” flag is intended to convey solidarity with the fire department. This is a variation of the original “thin blue line” flag showing support for police officers. The Thin Blue Line flag became most visible in 2020 in response to the defunding of police movement that swept the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody.
That same year, then-Secretary Daniel Nigro implemented a rule that trucks could not fly thin red line flags, saying it violated department regulations regarding “altered” versions of the U.S. flag.
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After interacting with voters, FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Cirari told firefighters at the East 2nd Street Fire Station that the thin red line flag had to be removed, the Post reported. He reportedly told firefighters he agreed it would be “stupid” to remove the flag.
The move caused an uproar on social media. Conservative activist Logan O’Handley, who goes by @DC_Draino on X; tweeted a photo FDNY firefighters were “forced to remove the ‘red light’ flag from a fire truck that was hung in memory of our brothers who died on 9/11.”
An FDNY ambulance seen in New York, USA on October 26, 2022. (Beata Saursel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Rivera, who voted to defund the NYPD by $1 billion, said her officers never contacted Ladder 11 about the issue. She said her complaints came from constituents, not her staff.
An FDNY spokesperson told FOX News Digital that the agency received a complaint from a local elected official’s office expressing “concerns about the flag on the fire truck, which appears to be inappropriate.”
“Once the complaint reached the highest leadership of the department, the chief and fire chief approved the hoisting of the flag from the apparatus,” he said.
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Rivera’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
