Gotham Journal

The New York Daily News reports Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta is banning future editions of the hugely popular FDNY Calendar of Heroes, due to firefighter and FDNY calendar cover boy, Michael Biserta appearing nude in an old “Guys Gone Wild” video.

The clip, which was shot in 2004, shows Biserta showing off for an enthusiastic group of women who urge him to strip naked for the camera. “You girls are bad influences,” he tells the women. The camera then follows the naked firefighter from the bedroom to the shower where he…drum roll please. Showers! How shocking.

Despite various news organizations describing it as “lurid,” the video is nothing more than soft-core, eye candy and contains nothing vulgar –unless of course you were to regard the nude human form as being obscene, which apparently Commissioner Scoppetta does.

The Daily News also reports that the FDNY was caught “off-guard” by the DVD, which apparently came to light after the calendar was printed and the firemen made an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show. Caught off-guard despite the fact that Biserta’s highly popular video clip has been circulating the internet for nearly three years.

Commissioner Scoppetta, responded on Friday by prohibiting city firefighters from ever posing for the charity calendar again, despite last year’s calendar raising over $150,000 for the FDNY Fire Foundation and this years edition having already sold out. In my humble opinion, I think Scoppetta needs to pull that fire engine out of his behind and lighten up.

22-year-old Biserta is a second-year firefighter in Brooklyn and joined the FDNY in April 2006, two years AFTER the video was filmed. Because of this, a source at the FDNY says he will not face any “discipline.”

According to the Daily News, one of Biserta’s fellow firefighters was said to be amused by his colleague’s Dirk Digler past. “Nice,” the firefighter said, flashing a thumbs-up. And as anyone who’s seen Biserta in all his glory will attest, a mere thumbs-up doesn’t begin to do him justice.