Other Hookers in the News

Posted by Matt Cipriano | No Comments

While everyone is all up-in-arms about Spitzer sleeping around, there has been other Hooker news out there: The Daily News reports on the Fire Department of New York crackdown on “Racy” nicknames for Fire Departments that has been going on since 2006.

Fire Departments in the city have their own logos and nicknames, kind of like a team pride thing. Some of them are humdrum run of the mill type stuff, but some of them they had a bit of fun with, like the 279 out in Red Hook. They are the Happy Hookers (get it, like Hook & Ladder… Glad we are al together on this one).

Apparently this name ban dates back to shortly after a 2005 scandal involving a firehouse that went by the name of Animal House. After the scandal broke the FDNY tried to clean up its image by changing the names and images of firehouses that they find to be offensive. Gone are the days of the Nut House, Southern Comfort, 90 Proof and, you would assume, the Happy Hookers. While many have removed the logo from the firehouses and dropped their firehouse patches, the Happy Hookers, out in Red Hook have refused.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” said one member of Engine 279, who asked that his name not be used. “It’s tradition and it’s not hurting anyone.”

I got to say, I do kind of agree with Firehouse 279, maybe Animal House and 90 Proof were inappropriate names, but The Happy Hookers is just a play on words, and words associated with firefighters at least (cause really, what does Southern Comfort have to do with fighting fires?).

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