Bon Air Fire: Should Have Let Member With 'Extremist' Ties Resign

HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP, PA — The Bon Air Fire Company in Haverford is now saying it should have accepted the resignation of a member who briefly associated with a far-right hate group, according to a new statement from the fire company.

In a statement released Monday, Sept. 9, the fire company said it should have accepted the member's resignation after his brief participation in the right-wing Proud Boys organization.

"We agree with the township that the board of the Bon Air Fire company should have accepted the resignation because it is important that all volunteers who represent the township do so free from bias and without discrimination," the statement said. "In focusing on our relationship with the individual volunteer, the fire company did not recognize the broader impact of our decision on the Haverford community."

Haverford Township shut down the fire company last week after its board failed to accept the resignation.

The Proud Boys are designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti Defamation League. Their members have been arrested and charged with various crimes in connection with events around the country.

They "closed borders," "anti-political correctness," and "venerating the housewife." Women and transgender men are not allowed in the group, which is considered a far-right neofascist organization that has ties to the Charlottesville protests that left one person dead.

He admitted to attending several social gatherings of the group and passing two of the four steps in the group's initiation process, which includes hazing, township officials said. However, he told officials he tried to distance himself from the group after learning of its beliefs.

The fire company said he "is not now, nor ever was, a member" of the Proud Boys.

After the closure, the fire company issued a statement saying the closure was wrong and harmful to the community.

Now, the company said it is revising bylaws and policies to prevent any member of a hate group or anyone who participates in hate speech to join the company. Additionally, members will undergo bias training

"It is the hope of the Bon Air Fire Company that the Haverford community can move forward from this incident in the spirit on inclusivity," the statement said. "And that, through our ongoing actions, the Bon Air Fire Company can regain the faith of the entire Haverford Township community."

Fire service in the Bon Air section will be provided, without interruption, by the four other companies in the Haverford Township Bureau of Fire: Brookline, Llanerch, Manoa, and Oakmont Fire Companies.

See the full statement below: