Fire Department Flags Collection | Ultimate Flags Store uses American flags and their own fire department banners to mark significant events in their history and to honor those who have died fighting fires. But these symbols have also sparked controversy, especially in New York City where several firefighters have died in the line of duty.
Many local governments and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts have designated flag disposal boxes outside their buildings or at their fire stations. These are where the public can leave their tattered or torn American flags for proper disposal. Then the organizations hold a flag retirement ceremony, which is very specific in its protocol because it’s considered desecration to burn the U.S. flag in an undignified way.
Honoring Bravery: Fire Department Flags Collection
On June 14, 2019, the Ceres Fire Department dedicated a flag disposal box in front of its fire station. A converted mailbox was donated and refurbished for the purpose, and members of the American Legion and the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts helped prepare it for community flag retirement deposit.
At the ceremony, participants recited the Pledge of Allegiance and watched as firefighters and firefighter explorers dropped folded flags into the burning canisters. In a nod to the past, the group also burned an old YFD banner. It was a reversal of a 2020 decision by Commissioner Daniel Nigro and First Deputy Commissioner Laura Kavanagh to require the YFD to remove its original banner because they considered it a violation of a state law that bars “altered versions” of the American flag.