Emerald outrage on the avenue

The hat, which had been a St. Patrick’s Day tradition among members of a Bronx firehouse for more than 30 years, had been banned from those marching in dress uniforms in an effort to define the FDNY’s dress code.
The official FDNY memo sent out in early March by Chief of Department Peter E. Hayden, who was named the Emerald Society’s Irishman of the Year in 2003, read, in capital letters, “THE WEARING OF GREEN BERETS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.”
Commissioner Nicolas Scopetta released a statement the day before the parade upholding the ban, saying: “We are a paramilitary organization . . . a proper dress code must be adhered to.”
The day before the parade, members of Engine Company 60, Ladder Company 17 and the 14th Battalion — the original “Green Berets” — said they would not defy departmental orders but would simply refuse to march.
Because of the unexpectedly high number of firefighters who joined the protest, FDNY Lt. Bill Kelly told the New York Post that he estimated only “about 500” firefighters marched, compared to previous years, when as many as 5,000 took part.
It began as one of the lesser-known St. Patrick’s Day traditions when Julia Browne knitted the tams for the members of her son-in-law’s firehouse. And so, starting in 1974, “The Green Beret Unit,” as they became known, marched behind the Emerald Society Bagpipe Band and Emerald Executive Board for 24 years.
Among the few who agreed to march in dress uniforms that lined up along 44th street last Thursday were 343 firefighters who marched with American flags, in honor of the firefighters who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
While those still marching were hesitant to comment on the battle of the berets, The Uniformed Firefighters Association president, Steve Cassidy, was more candid.
“It’s a disgrace,” he said of the department’s edict. “It’s a complete and total overreaction to a tradition,” adding that he would not be marching in the parade and instead joining the protesters.
Two miles away, more than 1,000 firefighters, most donning green berets, gathered to protest in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 82nd street.
Many of the protesters, who donned FDNY windbreakers over their street clothes, feared Departmental retribution if they spoke to media.
“We’re probies,” one explained, using the term for young, probationary firefighters. “We’ll get in trouble.”
One retired firefighter told how he almost showed up to march until a coworker told him about the protest.
“I’m glad I ran into him,” he said, laughing as he adjusted his beret. “I would have looked like a jerk.”
“We do everything together,” said another, waving at the green hats in front of him. “We’re always as a group.”
“I hope nobody does anything stupid,” said one young firefighter, craning his neck to see as the 343 flags came into view farther down the avenue.
The cheers for the Emerald Society band and the flag bearers quickly turned to jeers and mild expletives as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Commissioner Scopetta passed.
A handful of beret-clad men jumped the barricades and walked with the procession, but no arrests were made.
Attorney Brian O’Dwyer, who filed a lawsuit with the State Human Rights Committee against both the FDNY and the City of New York, said he is hopeful that “calmer heads with prevail” for next year’s parade.
O’Dwyer said speculation that the ban was in part due to the tarnished image the FDNY has suffered in recent years is not reason to ban the caps.
“They should address disciplinary issues and not take away from tradition,” he said.
A woman is suing the FDNY, claiming that last year she was raped by members of Bronx’s Engine 75, nicknamed “Animal House.” No criminal charges have been filed. Last fall, a harassment charge was filed against a high-ranking official at Rescue 4 in Woodside, one of the city’s most elite units.
“They haven’t exactly made it easy,” admitted the retired firefighter.