Betrayed': Floridians Protest After Firefighters Ordered to Remove American Flags From Their Trucks

Residents of Seminole, Florida are outraged after their local firefighters were reportedly told to remove the American flags from their trucks.

"There was an [order] from a chief to remove all flags from the apparatus", one of the protesters explained.

But the order had nothing to do with safety, nor with the quality of the flags being flown.  They were not tattered or worn, according to reports.

The local Fox affiliate, WTVT-TV, got in touch with a spokesperson for Seminole Fire Rescue, who said that the city is trying to be "sensitive" about the proper display of the American flag.

But firefighters said off-camera that it really all began after the city received two complaints about large American flags being flown from the backs of fire trucks.

Seminole Fire Rescue spokesperson Alison Shanabrook admits as much, telling WTVT the city received a complaint about the flag being "inappropriately displayed."

In a statement released to the media she says: "[The] City is trying to be sensitive to the proper display of the American flag," and she pointed out the flag is part of the standard firefighter uniform.

After they appeased the complainers, the firefighters said, they were then asked to remove the smaller flags. And now they are seemingly not allowed to fly any American flags.

Watch Fox affiliate's report:

Protesters patriotically waved their flags outside the fire station after their own complaints to the city were ignored.

"Betrayed by the people that we're putting trust in, that we're voting for," one woman said, summarizing her feelings.

The protesters say that, among other things, they are trying to respect the memory of the firefighters who died on 9/11.

"I am not even an American Citizen and I am deeply offended by this action. I lived in NYC when the Towers came down. The people that complained should be ashamed of themselves," one commenter wrote.

Another declared: "The officials in this community are responsible for the worst case of cowardice and despicable behavior I have ever witnessed.  Two...TWO complaints and they immediately cave in to [anti-American] sentiment."

When asked what he hopes to accomplish, one of the flag-waving protesters explained: "My goal today is that they say, 'yes the flags are going back on the trucks, yes we have a solution.'"