EVANSTON, Ill. — Evanston firefighters who posed for a photo wearing Trump masks while in uniform are facing disciplinary action after a city investigation found they violated city code and union contract policies that prohibit political activity on city property.
The incident occurred at Fire Station 3 on Central Street on Jan. 20, the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Evanston RoundTable reported. The image, which surfaced on Reddit’s r/evanston forum, showed four uniformed firefighters wearing Trump masks, with the number “47” appearing in the corner as an apparent reference to Trump becoming the 47th U.S. president.
Our Fire Department all celebrating the inauguration in matching Trump masks
byu/WarmishCoffee inevanston
The post quickly gained traction online, generating nearly 4,000 reactions and over 1,500 comments within two months. In response, Fire Chief Paul Polep issued an apology to the mayor and City Council, pledging corrective action. Five days later, around 15 firefighters attended a City Council meeting to issue a public apology.
“We are not the racist, bigoted, sexist, uneducated fools as has been described and portrayed on blogs, forums and social media,” Evanston Firefighters Local 742 President Billy Lynch said
Disciplinary measures for the involved firefighters range from verbal and written reprimands to suspensions. Chief Polep emphasized that while mistakes happen, the department remains committed to professionalism and has handled the situation appropriately.
“The important thing is we handled it in a very professional way, and we’re moving forward,” he said.
