First came the teasing: one man made a crack about another's sexual orientation. Others may have laughed. The target of the teasing responded with a taunt, a firefighter familiar with the case said, and then, in a flash, a metal chair sailed through the air, shattering bones in the teased man's face and partly severing his nose.
In that horrifying instant last Wednesday, a verbal fight swiftly escalated into violence in a Staten Island firehouse, officials say, leaving one firefighter on a respirator in a hospital and another under arrest, his career in peril. While the details are still under investigation and more charges, against firefighters accused of covering up the incident, are possible, the fight has opened a window of sorts on New York City's firehouse culture, including certain aspects that may have combined to disastrous effect.
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said last week that the fight at least partially stemmed from the close confines of firehouse living, where shared meals and sleeping quarters can lead to a boiling over of sibling-like relationships fueled by constant ribbing and full of all the tensions, personal feuds and intense competition of any family ties. To be sure, razzing is as much a part of firehouse life as communal meals and the shattering peal of alarm bells. But what set the Staten Island incident apart, surprising even longtime firefighters, was that it culminated in violence.
Other factors may have exacerbated the tense exchange between Firefighter Robert Walsh, who was injured, and Firefighter Michael R. Silvestri, who was arrested, including alcohol and a dispute over taking advantage of colleagues, which is considered taboo, firefighters and fire officials say.
Part of the mystique of firefighters is their seeming ability to remain forever young and daring. But as admirable as those traits can be, this youthfulness can at times translate into what the outside world might consider adolescent behavior. The endless flow of taunts can seem vicious and cruel. Those who have lived in and studied the world of firefighters
