Several FDNY firefighters were disciplined for hazing a rookie firefighter.
Seven firefighters from Engine 40 and Ladder 35 in Manhattan allegedly poked fun at an African-American firefighter.
The punishment included the loss of 15 vacation days and the loss of pay, ranging from three to 30 days, according to the New York Post. If they did not accept the discipline, they could have faced administrative charges.
While the department did not share details of the incident, a source told the newspaper that the firefighter's locker was found in the bathroom.
In 2013, then-Fire Commissioner Sal Cassano established a policy against hazing. It prevented firefighters from any type of initiation or situations that create “personal humiliation.”
“This is all bulls–t,” a firefighter told the newspaper. “There’s a culture in the firehouse when you’re a new guy. Somebody’s feelings get hurt and all of a sudden it’s hazing.”
Around the time the policy was established in 2013, firefighter Baraka Smith filed a $2.5 million suit saying he choked a colleague in self-defense during a hazing incident.
“I think that’s good," Baraka's lawyer, Pamela Hayes said of the recent disciplinary actions. "They didn’t do this in our case."
