EMAIL RESPONSE RE WHITE HOUSE

IAFC MEMBER ALERT

Thursday, September 27, 2000, 2:15pm EDT.... We have received confirmation from the White House that we have their permission to keep Fire Station flags at half-staff until October 11, per Chief Buckman's request of all IAFC members earlier this week.

Confirmation was received from Anthony Mackery, White House Office of Political Affairs, who stated, "The President only controls those areas that are federal buildings, and of course, fire stations do not fall under federal jurisdiction. Rather, they fall under state, county or local jurisdiction. So if fire stations want to keep their flags at half-mast until the 11th of October, that's certainly fine with the White House."

However, to Mackery's point regarding state and local jurisdiction, any members who are still concerned with local policy and protocol may want to consult their local government representatives and act accordingly. Thank you for your interest in this issue.