The recent fire-truck-in-a-Pride parade controversy has put a new spin on an old story. In the past, the issue centered on the fact that some firefighters didn’t want to participate in community Pride parades when they were mandated to do so by their department or the city. This time, the problem was that the firefighters who participated may have been a little too enthusiastic about doing so, at least according to their department.
The reported facts are these: A Spokane, Washington, fire truck participated in the city’s Pride parade on June 14. The members of that company now face potential discipline because they allowed an unauthorized person (and a cat!) on the rig with them and they were flying Pride flags off the side of the truck.
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It seems to me that there are two different issues here. Having an unauthorized person on the rig is an easy call. If there is a policy against it, then you don’t do it, unless it is specifically ordered by department leadership. In this case, it wasn’t, and that would be the source of a reprimand.
As for the complaint about the Pride flags, it is interesting that the department wanted a crew to be in the parade but didn’t want them to be too engaged in doing so. This seems strange to me. Would you assign a crew to be in a Christmas parade but then discipline them for putting a wreath on the front of the truck? The city mayor commented “that any adornments must also be approved in advance,” but you have to wonder how consistently that rule is followed.
This is not the first time firefighters and Pride parades have been in the news. In 2008, a San Diego firefighter publicly stated that he felt “used and angry” after being forced to participate in a Pride parade with his crew. And two Providence, Rhode Island, firefighters filed a lawsuit claiming their assignment to be in a Pride parade with their crew and apparatus in 2001 violated their First Amendment right to freedom of religion. That case went all the way to the state Supreme Court, which ruled against the firefighters in 2014.
In most cases, a person who might not agree with the focus of an event will go along anyway, stoically if not enthusiastically. As a member of a public service organization, you don’t get to decide what you participate in and what you don’t, just as you don’t get to decide which emergency calls you respond to and which you would rather pass on. Crewmembers are entitled to their personal feelings, but their stated duty is to follow orders and respond as assigned.
The Rhode Island Supreme Court clarified this position in its ruling: “After receiving this work assignment from their employer (the regularity of which has not been questioned), respondents participated in the parade merely as relatively anonymous public servants,” the decision stated. The firefighters were not compelled into any speech, the court found, since staffing a fire truck in a parade is not a political statement when done under assignment from superiors.
In the aftermath of the Spokane incident, several people took issue with the idea that Pride parades are political at all. One person wrote on Facebook, “Let’s be clear: the Pride symbol is not political. It’s not religious. And it’s not about who you sleep with. It’s a symbol of inclusion, solidarity, and respect — a clear and powerful message that we are here to protect and serve everyone in our community, without exception.”
Others offered a seemingly “simple solution” to the situation: “Firefighters and equipment in NO PARADES ever!” There is some logic in this approach. Not everyone will agree with every event they are assigned. For example, a fire truck might be assigned to be part of a Halloween parade, and a member might find that holiday objectionable for religious reasons. Can that person refuse to be in the truck with the crew for the parade?
While this approach seems straightforward enough, the reality is that it’s an imperfect solution. Communities love seeing their first responders in holiday parades, and many fire departments like participating. They generally understand that it is not up to an individual or a single engine company whether they roll in the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, and they usually won’t be criticized for putting red, white and blue streamers on the rig for July 4. Being in a parade is just another assignment for which any individual might have varying levels of enthusiasm.
And if that assignment is made, and members are enthusiastic about it, let them express that within reasonable boundaries, whether it is cheering for Santa or flying a Pride flag. Just don’t bring the cat along.
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