Author: Hank Nuwer

There seems to be no concern for the victim in this case. Here is the link.

And more.

http://www.statter911.com/2015/04/09/it-gets-worse-chief-asst-chief-arrested-for-coverup-of-hazingsex-assault-case-at-firehouse/

Here is the link: two superiors in the firefighter sexual hazing ordeal now involved as accomplices.

Here is the link to the audio story

When a hazing incident makes the news, we usually think of college campuses – a fraternity rush gone wrong, or an initiation ritual for a sport team. But not always. That was the case this week in Texas.

Five members of the Ellis County Volunteer Fire Department have been charged with aggravated sexual assault. The incident allegedly occurred back in January as part of a hazing ritual for new recruits.

This story includes some explicit details about a disturbing incident.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the men held a male recruit down and sexually assaulted him with a broomstick, and then a sausage. Another person, who has also been arrested, filmed the incident. The video captured the cheers and laughter of fellow firefighters.

“This is all about loyalty and trust – but it’s more than that,” says Hank Nuwer, a journalism professor at Franklin College and member of HazingPrevention.org. “Being a fireman is a high-status job … there’s status and power there, and this was definitely a power play.”

“The problem with this kind of hazing,” Nuwer says, “is that, with the victim, he becomes a pariah if he says something. And it isn’t about bonding in this case – it’s really a form of terrible bullying, And it must have been really shaming to have a woman in the room photographing while this ordeal was taking place.”

Nuwer says hazing laws need to be reconsidered nationwide.

“This same thing happened in a different context in South Carolina, and the law did not apply to high school students. In a case near Hilton Head, there was a student who was raped, sodomized, and the sheriff would not press charges because the law did not cover it.”

Here is the link

Excerpt:

Under the guise of initiation or acceptance, certain firehouse practices can be demeaning and even dangerous. Hazing often involves unnecessary, unpleasant or extremely difficult work, which supposedly tests a person’s character or endurance. This “testing” may range from joking to taunting and nit-picking, or from work obstructions to demeaning tasks.

Although hazing is purportedly meant to test a new member’s commitment, it may really serve to provide the perpetrators with a bit of demented amusement. The new member must decide whether acceptance by this group is sufficiently worthwhile to endure the discomfort and humiliation.

Creating a gauntlet of fear and humiliation should legitimately be termed harassment, which is illegal in the workplace. But when does hazing become harassment? There is no clear line.

To make matters worse, an insular culture exists that people outside of a firehouse rarely, if ever, witness. You’ve probably seen the Las Vegas promotions that tout, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” In this case, “What happens in the firehouse stays in the firehouse.”

The “final exam” in an initiation is complicity-by-silence. The rookie cannot disclose to anyone outside of the firehouse what happened, on penalty of rejection; a squealer will be ostracized immediately. This is the most insidious aspect of hazing; some perpetrators are exploring whether the rookie can be trusted to keep quiet about questionable and inappropriate activity. “Do you have my back?” goes beyond job commitment and, in the realm of firefighting, includes a vow of silence should a group member face accountability for bad behavior…..

….Testing the commitment and courage of new team members is certainly reasonable. Respect for each other and for all humanity is the foundation upon which fire service skills are built. Our leaders must understand this.

Further, fire service leaders are learning to appreciate and seek diversity in our teams and organizations. But when we perpetuate the inappropriate traditions of hazing and harassment, we encourage talented and capable people to avoid or prematurely leave the fire service. We must stop behaviors that promote inappropriate behavior in the workplace so we can all learn and work together in a respectful environment.

Excerpt and Video:

ELLIS COUNTY — Five volunteer firefighters are off the job in Ellis County. They and one other person face serious charges for what investigators say they did to a recruit.

The Texas Rangers investigated what’s described as a hazing incident and sexual assault that happened in January at the Ellis County Emergency Services District No. 6 Volunteer Fire Department outside Waxahachie.

Rangers said the sixth person arrested in the case recorded the act on her cell phone.

In a community where volunteer firefighters are held in high regard, people here were caught off-guard by these allegations. Court records paint a picture of a party-like atmosphere at the station house while members of the department sexually assault a new recruit.

After being arrested Monday night, five Ellis County volunteer firefighters woke up in jail Tuesday morning. Each faces charges of aggravated sexual assault. All but one have bonded out.