Top brass at the FDNY received a complaint from a Democratic councilwoman’s office about a “Thin Red Line” flag being flown by an East Village ladder company. The concern was that the flag was too “politically charged,” with a constituent questioning whether it violated department rules by displaying a non-FDNY flag. The flag was said to be flown to honor deceased firefighters, but the constituent suggested that an FDNY flag should have been used instead. The thin red line flag is a symbol of solidarity with firefighters and is a variation of the thin blue line flag that represents support for police officers. In 2020, then-Commissioner Daniel Nigro had implemented a rule prohibiting trucks from flying thin red line flags due to it being considered an altered version of the U.S. flag.
Following the complaint, FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Schiralli ordered the thin red line flag to be removed from the East 2nd Street firehouse, despite reportedly agreeing that it was “ridiculous” to do so. This decision sparked controversy on social media, with conservative activist Rogan O’Handley tweeting about the firefighters being forced to remove the flag meant to honor fallen firefighters from 9/11. The councilwoman, Carlina Rivera, who had previously voted to defund the NYPD by $1 billion, stated that her office was not the one that contacted Ladder Co. 11 regarding the flag. She clarified that the complaint originated from a constituent rather than one of her staff members. The FDNY spokesman confirmed receiving a complaint about a flag on the fire truck being deemed inappropriate and stated that the Chief Department and Fire Commissioner approved the flag to be flown from the apparatus.
The “thin red line” flag is a symbol of solidarity with firefighters and has its origins in the original “thin blue line” flag that represents support for police officers. In 2020, the thin blue line flag became more prominent following movements to defund the police in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in police custody. Then-Commissioner Daniel Nigro had implemented a rule prohibiting trucks from flying thin red line flags due to it being considered an altered version of the U.S. flag. Despite Deputy Chief Joseph Schiralli agreeing that it was “ridiculous” to remove the flag, he still ordered the East 2nd Street firehouse to take it down. This decision sparked backlash on social media, highlighting the division over the display of the thin red line flag.
Conservative activist Rogan O’Handley criticized the FDNY for forcing firefighters to remove the thin red line flag meant to memorialize their fallen brothers from 9/11. Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, who had previously advocated for defunding the NYPD, confirmed that her office was not the one that contacted Ladder Co. 11 about the issue. She clarified that the complaint came from a constituent and not one of her staff members. The FDNY spokesman stated that the decision to remove the flag came after receiving a complaint from a local elected official’s office regarding the flag on the fire truck being considered inappropriate. The Chief Department and Fire Commissioner ultimately approved the flag to be flown from the apparatus.
The controversy surrounding the thin red line flag at an East Village ladder company began when a Democratic councilwoman’s office received a complaint about its display. The concern was that the flag was too “politically charged,” with a constituent questioning whether it violated department rules by being flown on a public vehicle. The flag was explained to be a symbol of honoring deceased firefighters, but the constituent suggested using an FDNY flag instead of a politically charged symbol. Despite Deputy Chief Joseph Schiralli reportedly agreeing that it was “ridiculous” to remove the flag, he still ordered its removal, causing a stir on social media. The councilwoman, Carlina Rivera, clarified that the complaint came from a constituent and not her office, while the FDNY spokesman stated that the decision to remove the flag was made after receiving a complaint from a local elected official’s office.
