5 firefighters fired over waterboarding-like hazing at Houston-area station
Five firefighters were fired and a sixth was suspended after a Houston-area fire department learned that they had hazed a rookie firefighter and that video of the incident — which involved a waterboarding-esque act — was being shared online.
A statement from Stephen Whitehead, chief of the Westfield Fire Department about 20 miles north of Houston, said that a reporter with KPRC-TV alerted him to the footage, which had been shared with him by a concerned resident.
In the nearly five-minute video, KPRC reported, the rookie firefighter is restrained on a backboard and doused with water from a fire engine. Firefighters pour substances including mustard, flour, chocolate and ice on him.
"Dude, you're crying," one firefighter says. "You want to quit, just say it."
A firefighter also warns his colleagues about recording, saying: "Hey, y'all, don't be putting this {expletive} on social media."
Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas/2017/03/15/5-firefighters-fired-waterboarding-like-hazing-houston-area-station