Botsford Fire Chief Wayne Ciaccia said he and a number of his firefighters meant no disrespect, and in hindsight, regretted the "spur of the moment" decision to post Donald Trump campaign posters on a number of the company's apparatus that appeared in the September 5 Labor Day Parade.

The Newtown Bee in a written response to concerns articulated in correspondence to the paper, as well as to at least one Bee staffer on the parade route who took exception to the political advocacy, that "the actions of Botsford Fire & Rescue department were not representative of any political preference of the Newtown Board of Fire Commissioners."

Newtown Board of Fire Commissioners Chairman Rob Manna told

Mr Manna added, "Their decision to display candidate advocacy on town-owned trucks was not an approved or sanctioned act ... nor will it be tolerated."

He said that the commission will be further investigating the matter and that "actions will be taken to ensure this does not happen again."

Resident Robbin Allen, who generated a letter to the editor, said she was "shocked, disappointed, and disgusted to see that the Botsford Fire & Rescue thought it remotely appropriate to use the Labor Day Parade and their fire trucks to stump for a presidential candidate."

She also expressed concerns that such action could affect the nonprofit status of the fire company, and its ability to accept tax-deductible donations in the future.

"Since this organization solicits donations, I surmise they are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which means they have violated IRS laws which state unequivocally that engaging in political activity is strictly prohibited," she wrote.

Chief Ciaccia insisted the stunt was "not premeditated" in any way, and "that if we had ten more minutes to think about it, it probably never would have happened."

"It was just a spur of the moment thing," he said. "We were staged up on Mt Pleasant Road, and we ended up with some of the signs from somebody going by and they ended up on the trucks."

He said "a bunch of the guys" wanted to put them on the backs of the trucks.

"We realize now that it wasn't a good idea, and that we shouldn't have done that. We really didn't think of the repercussions," the chief said. "In hindsight, it was a bad snap decision."

Contacted about the matter, First Selectman Pat Llodra said via emailed reply, "The Botsford Fire Company has served the community well for many years and I am certain they will continue to do so. However, I am dismayed at the absence of good judgment that allowed political advocacy signs to be displayed on fire equipment during the Labor Day parade. There are no circumstances that allow or encourage personal political choices to become associated with town equipment or services."