Michael K. Healey used to clean the bathroom at home. He was married for 20 years to Theresa Healey, with whom he had three children and who said that he cleaned everything from the bathroom to the bedroom to the kitchen without putting up a fuss. He even did the laundry.
Mr. Healey, a lieutenant in the Fire Department, did not mind cleaning on the job, either. (An aside: Firefighters clean the station house bathroom on a rotating basis.)
When Firefighter Healey became a lieutenant four years ago, he stopped changing bedsheets and washing dishes. Officers become so burdened with paperwork that officials discourage them from doing household chores. "It took him a while to get used to the new rules," Mrs. Healey said. "The guys do a lot of bonding while doing their work."
Lieutenant Healey, 43, was an 18-year veteran of the Fire Department and a member of Rescue Squad 41 in the South Bronx.
New York Times
Published: December 3, 2001