Firefighters Angry Over Ban On Political Paraphernalia
The FDNY has ruffled the feathers on some firefighters by banning political paraphernalia from the firehouses and trucks after the Madison Engine 276 displayed a Donald Trump mask on the front of a truck.
A memo sent out across the department asked firefighters to “remain out of the political scene and out of the political field.”
“Only [the] FDNY wouldn’t want the democratically elected president of America hanging in a firehouse,” an anonymous firefighter told the New York Post. “The firehouse is supposed to be a symbol of America. That’s hard to believe when you can’t post a picture of the president.”
“Posting of these materials is not in compliance with Regs,” said the memo that was sent out through the FDNY. “Please make sure apparatus and quarters are clear of this material.”
The confusion and anger came from the fact that portraits of past presidents have hung in firehouses in the past, leading the department employees to assume this rule only applies to the president-elect, Donald Trump.
“They have pictures of . . . George Bush standing on the World Trade Center pile with a megaphone,” the FDNY source told the Post. “FDNY posts pictures all the time. When Barack Obama visits firehouses, FDNY officially posts photos of him shaking hands, people smiling — no problem there.”
An FDNY spokesperson, Jim Long, pushed the point that the message wasn’t specific to one politician, but a reminder that the FDNY is not a political organization, and should stay out of politics altogether.
