The Eureka Fire Protection District has received both praise and criticism after one of its firetrucks was spotted at a gathering to support a cross-country convoy of trucks protesting COVID-19 mandates as it passed through the area Tuesday (March 1).
The Eureka firetruck, which was displaying a flag, was parked on the Central Avenue overpass in Eureka as the protest, known as the “People’s Convoy,” as it passed below on I-44. The convoy is one of several trucker-led protests headed to Washington, D.C.
“We have had comments both ways,” Eureka Fire Chief Greg Brown said today (March 2). “Some people didn’t like, and some people really appreciated it.”
Brown said the firetruck was at the gathering because Eureka Fire was asked to be there, and the district often attends events when invited. He said a firetruck was at a Black Lives Matter march held in 2020 in Eureka.
During that event, protestors gathered in Eureka’s Lions Park and marched through the city’s Old Town district before returning to the park.
“When people are gathering and they are not doing anything illegal, immoral or something that could be violent, when people ask us to show up, we show up,” Brown said. “(The Black Lives Matter event) was in the summer when it was hot. We handed out water to make sure everyone stayed hydrated.”
Brown said both on-duty and off-duty Eureka firefighters were at the 2020 Black Lives Matter march and Tuesday’s trucker convoy.
If the firetruck and district personnel at Tuesday’s gathering were needed, they could have easily left to respond to a call, Brown said.
“We always make sure any time we do anything like that we have the ability to disassemble and get out of there,” he said.
Brown said the district’s presence at the convoy was not a statement that Eureka Fire supports the movement.
“It is not taking a stance,” he said. “When there was masking required, we did it as part of our agency. When we respond to calls, we wear the appropriate (personal protection equipment). This was a group of people doing a flag display on a bridge, and they asked us if we would participate. We did. That is something we do when people ask us.”
Brown said the district may review its policy for trucks showing up at events.
“There will probably be a discussion with our board to see if they want to change their stances when people call,” he said. “But where does that start and end? That will be their (board members’) decision.”