By FireRescue1 Staff
TULSA, Okla. — An Oklahoma fire department is removing blue stripe stickers from their fire trucks.
News on 6 reported that Tulsa Fire Department Chief Ray Driskell said he believes the stickers might be giving the wrong impression to the community.
“It hit me in my heart that this was the right thing to do for the City of Tulsa and for the citizens,” Chief Driskell said.
The symbols were added after the Dallas police shooting to show solidarity with law enforcement.
Driskell said after the acquittal of Officer Betty Jo Shelby in the shooting of motorist Terence Crutcher, citizens believe the symbols are in support of her. He decided to remain neutral and remove the stripe stickers.
“I don’t need a blue stripe on my fire truck to show solidarity with the police department, they know that we support them. I have weekly meetings with them. I have firefighters who work out with them,” Chief Driskell said. “Had it not been for the Officer Shelby thing that happened I don’t know that we would be doing this either. I don’t know that there would be the perception that it means two different things to people. It only means one to me.”