Two volunteer fire departments on Long Island have agreed to stop displaying Confederate flags and symbols on their property, undergo state human rights law training and pay fines to settle claims they engaged in unlawful, discriminatory conduct, New York officials announced.
The Brookhaven and Levittown fire districts and departments agreed to remove Confederate flag depictions from their equipment, vehicles and apparel, including a Confederate flag on a Brookhaven fire truck and an image of a cartoon character holding a Confederate flag on Levittown vehicles and apparel, the state Human Rights Division said in a release Monday.
Brookhaven and Levittown, along with a third department, the Holbrook Fire District and Volunteer Department, also agreed to pay $28,000 in fines and settle additional claims they made unlawful inquiries of fire department applicants, including asking about their national origin and criminal history, the division said.
The state Human Rights Law prohibits professional or volunteer fire companies from discriminating against applicants because of their race, color, religion, national origin, marital status and other protected classes.
“People rely on emergency services like those provided by fire departments for help in moments of tremendous stress and danger ,” Denise Miranda, the Human Rights Division's acting commissioner, said in a statement. "When services like these display symbols of racism or maintain policies that unlawfully discriminate against people who may want to join the department, it damages public trust and harms communities.”
The Levittown and Holbrook departments declined comment, and the Brookhaven department did not immediately respond to phone calls and an email seeking comment. Their alleged conduct garnered scrutiny following complaints brought by, among others, members of the public who contacted the media after seeing the Confederate flags displayed. The division said the Confederate flag “is a historical symbol of racism and that its display” conveyed a discriminatory message to the public and discouraged prospective applicants from joining the departments.
The resolution of the complaints comes amid a shortage of volunteer firefighters across New York. Statewide, volunteer companies have lost approximately 40,000 members over the past 20 years, according to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York. Volunteer companies across the nation have experienced similar declines.
Holbrook unlawfully requested information about applicants’ national origin, religion and whether they had ever been charged with or convicted of a crime, according to the division’s complaint.
Brookhaven unlawfully stated that applicants had to be U.S. citizens, required applicants to disclose their citizenship status and inquired whether they had ever been charged with or convicted of a felony, according to the complaint.
Likewise, Levittown unlawfully requested information about applicants’ citizenship status, including whether they were a citizen by birth or naturalization, the Human Rights Division said. The jurisdiction also asked applicants to disclose their marital status and whether they had ever been charged with or convicted of a crime, according to the division.
Under the settlements, the departments agreed to amend their membership applications and comply with state law. They also agreed to participate in Human Rights Law training and remain under the division's review for three years to confirm their compliance on a semi-annual basis.
