Elmont Fire Department criticized for logo

Over the past few days, the Elmont Fire Department’s Engine Company 3 has removed all of its logos of a “rebel flag” due to recent community criticism that it resembles a confederate flag.

Mike Capoziello, the Elmont Fire Department’s assistant chief, said the department began catching flack for its logo when a department member went to a local news station regarding Engine Company 3’s fire truck, which displayed a skull wearing a bandana resembling a confederate flag.

Capoziello said the department wasn’t aware of the logos’ similarity to the confederate flag, and removed the logos immediately due to their insensitive nature, he said.

The logo was designed by a member of the department and was added in November, he said.

“Egine 3 has been known as the rebels for decades.,” Capoziello explained. “They had the flag logo because of the whole rebel imgae thing, not for any racist points-of-view..”

Capoziello said the department’s membership is nearly 174, and nearly half of its members are black or Hispanic.

“Are we guilty of not truly understanding how offensive and hurtful this image is to the community? Yes, and we will take the blame for this. Are we trying to entice a racist point-of-view? Absolutely not,” Capoziello said. “The Elmont Fire Department, and the members of Engine 3 are not racist.”

He added that there are eight companies in the Elmont Fire Department, which all include black members.

“The removal of the logos is not the end of this,” Capoziello said. “The chiefs will continue to speak to our brother firefighters to see if we need to look at other things, as well. We will do what we need to do to make this right.”