Firehouse Prank

I love my Twitter feed. Today I got a Tweet from Firehouse.com about a rookie prank that was video taped and placed on the internet. Now, within a few minutes, other fire sites that I have Tweeted to me are picking up the story.

In this video, a masked gunman is shown running into the station. The firefighters scatter and hit the deck. Shots are fired and at the end of the video, credits roll.

I have been on the giving and receiving end of firehouse pranks. This one made me scratch my head. Was it worth filming and posting? I understand the dynamic of the firehouse. I bet when this prank was over, there was a lot of laughing and watching and re watching of the tape.

Not trying to invoke "the thin blue line," the general public does not totally understand the job and the stresses. They even less understand firehouse life and dynamics. While you and I might not think that a prank like this is controversial, the public obviously does.

Tell me what you think. Do these firefighters deserve any type of punishment? Do we have an obligation to change firehouse culture so these types of pranks won't happen? And last but not least, are these guys stupid for placing this video on the internet?