Fire engines allowed in Fourth of July parade, after all

Due to a large community outcry, Mayor Stanley Cohen, Fourth of July parade chair, reversed his stance Monday on not having Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority and Schell-Visa Fire Protection District fire engines participate in the parade.
Cohen had wanted to prevent fire engines from spraying water at parade-watchers, citing
prior years’ experiences in which apples, water balloons and other objects were thrown back at the engines as they passed along the parade route, and because of what he said was an increasing number of unsupervised children running along side or in front of the engines.
But if firefighters want to spray on-lookers, parade officials won’t stop them.
“Yeah, that’s correct,” Cohen said. “If they’re going to spray people, they’re going to spray people.”
He added, “My concerns about public safety are still present and I will be reviewing the parade along with our police to make sure that the ever increasing number of participants who throw water balloons at the fire engines (only) do that.”
Parade participants were still banned from having water guns or balloons on their floats.
Cohen stressed that the decision to not have fire engines in the parade was made by the parade committee and not by the Sonoma City Council whose members received numerous calls and e-mails protesting the idea.