What exactly is bravery? Accoring to Ernest Hemingway it’s his favorite ‘grace under pressure’ routine. Another might think it’s sacrificing oneself for a higher cause. Perhaps these are both good answers but to me it can also be doing dangerous, stupid shit for no good reason at all.

One of my buddies has a father who served with the NYPD in Brooklyn. Now I’m sure the man saw some stuff more valiant and I’m sure most of the stuff he saw or did were better for mankind but this is the story his son told me. Or better still, how I remember it.

Apparently the New York Police Department is called up whenever there’s a big fire in the city to assist the New York Fire Department in securing the location and keeping unwanted onlookers awawy from the scene. This particular day a fire was raging in a Brooklyn apartment building. You know the type; bricks, little balconies, fire escapes. Our protagonist was called to the scene.

Firemen were walking in and out of the building with their fire hoses, protective gear, equipment and all. Then our New York copper witnessed something bordering between tough and insane. A fireman walked up on one of the balconies of the burning building, laid down his axe and took a cigarette break. I don’t know if he lit his smoke (probably a Lucky Strike) on the actual fire but still. After that he ran back in and fought the fire like normal firemen do.

Brave? Maybe. Tough? Definitely.