BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — Two Brookhaven firefighters have resigned following an incident in which a Confederate flag was displayed on one of the fire trucks during a parade in Patchogue.
The unidentified firefighters handed in their resignation letters after being suspended, according to the department.
On Monday, the department was heavily criticized for allowing a Confederate flag to be used to decorate a ladder truck. However, Chief of Department Peter Di Pinto Jr. says the firefighters who did it acted alone.
He issued a public apology and condemned the action in a letter posted to Facebook.
A statement by the department's Board of Fire Commissioners says “There is no place for racism of any kind” in the department, and that “there is no excuse. There is no defense.”
About 100 demonstrators who gathered outside the firehouse on Wednesday night cheered when the statement announcing the resignations was read to them.
The Brookhaven Fire Department is still being investigated by the New York State Division of Human Rights, as per Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s direction.
On Monday, he slammed the firefighters who displayed the flag saying, “We will not tolerate symbols of racism and division. To see a Confederate flag displayed in our own backyard is appalling.”
Di Pinto Jr. has vowed the flag will never be seen on one of their fire trucks again.