Will flags return to Arlington Fire District trucks after their removal attracted national attention and criticism? A compromise may be in the works.
The chairman of the Arlington Board of Fire Commissioners said he’s reached out to Chief Tory Gallante to discuss the possibility of a compromise about the use of American flags on fire trucks.
American flags were removed from three Arlington Fire District trucks Tuesday, sparking heated discussion on social media and disappointment from union members.
Gallante was directed by the board to remove the flags from the backs of the trucks during Monday’s meeting. He declined to comment on specifics of why the decision was made but said he is “very disappointed with their direction.”
Arlington Fire Commissioner Chairman Jim Beretta said the board majority feel the flags are a “liability during normal operations for our people and other motorists,” and that the board had not been consulted before the flags were mounted.
On Wednesday, Beretta told the Poughkeepsie Journal that he has reached out to Gallante and offered to sit down for a discussion with him “and whomever he wants to pull together … to have an initial conversation on how we might come to a compromise, some solution.”
Gallante said he, union members and board members are planning to meet on Thursday to “start discussing flag matter.”
“I hope eventually this will get resolved,” Gallante said. – READ MORE
