|
|
|
Taking the Ribbing Karl Joseph was a "probie," a probationary firefighter, at Engine Company 207 in downtown Brooklyn after joining the department in October 2000. The senior guys played pranks on him ‹ a throwback to high school days ‹ but he took it well. "When you're a probie, you really can't respond back to the veterans," said Michael Beehler, a firefighter who went through the fire academy with Mr. Joseph and worked with him at 207. "Karl had a way of shrugging off the ribbing. He had a great smile and a great laugh," Mr. Beehler said. "As far as the job, he was top-notch." Mr. Joseph would have turned 26 on Nov. 5. He was a native of Haiti. His parents fled the chaotic country with their nine children to stake their claim in America, said Lucy Bouciquot, a family friend. "He liked Haiti," she said, "but America was his home." Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November 10, 2001. |