If you haven’t heard this story about cops and firefighters, you’ll thank me for bringing it to your attention. If you have, you won’t mind being reminded because this one is special. Sometimes pranks are so simple but also so spot-on and the retaliation so on-the-mark, they rise to the level of masterpieces of humor. And when they involve police officers and firefighters, it’s even better. (Especially since I’m a retired cop and my wife is a retired firefighter.) Well, such was the case in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Seems the fire department got itself a new toy: a drone. And they wouldn’t be good ol’ fashioned American firefighters if they didn’t want to test out any new gadget—like, right now! Anyway, a firefighter asked if the drone could carry something. Firerescue1.com reported that Fire Chief Eric Hendrick joked, perhaps while glancing at the police station next door, when he asked “Maybe a donut?”
An assistant fire chief pointed out, “You know, we’ve got a donut.”
They got some string and tethered a glazed donut to the drone. During the initial test flight, firefighters saw Police Chief Kenny Kavanaugh sitting in his car in the police department parking lot. As fire Sgt. Justin Ames described it, the drone flew “up and down, left and right,” until the suspended donut hovered in front of the chief’s windshield.
(Credit: Facebook/Auntie Ruth’s Doughnuts)
Reportedly, a police captain asked the chief if he should shoot it down. Which brought a response from a firefighter who quipped that he wanted to shoot it down, so he could get the donut.
Now, what would a story like this be without some good-natured retaliation?
Not to be outdone, the cops erected a mobile traffic reader board on the street in front of the fire station. During the day it read, “SHHHH…FIREMEN SLEEPING.” At night it read, “Honk if you love FIREMEN!!” And you know people love firefighters.
All these public safety shenanigans culminated into a worthy fundraiser, collecting nearly $3000 for an important town construction project.
