If you want to become a New York City firefighter, you'd better hit the books, because the department's stringent entrance exam requires that you understand things like electricity and how to open doors.

Republican Senators have blocked a bill that would provide health care for 9/11 responders. Take that, heroes!

Anderson Cooper's dangerous Greenwich Village converted firehouse home wasn't much help when his neighbor's apartment caught fire early today. The FDNY still managed to put out the blaze quickly. There are too many Anderson Cooper/firemen jokes to pick just one!

A family forgot to pay a $75 fire protection fee to their small Tennessee town. Then their house caught on fire and firefighters stood by as it and all their possessions burned to the ground. Here's the sad news report.

NY1's loveable goofball reporter Roger Clark, on the scene this morning: "These are the guys that fight firefighters." Debonair anchor Pat Kiernan: "They fight fires, right?" The ensuing 40 seconds of chuckling miscommunication are classic. Never change, you guys.

[A firefighter rescues a dog during flash floods today in Arlington, Texas. Aw. Photo via AP]

You might suspect that Andrea Peyser, the New York Post's hardcore pornography critic, would be totally gay for hot sexxxy "Fire women," kicking in doors of burning buildings in their blazing hot fire gear, with sweat pouring off their chiseled abdominal muscles, covered only by a sheer layer of fire retardant gel. But no—"if I were to be caught in a fire, I'd feel a lot safer in the arms of a 6-foot man than those of a 5-foot girl." This is the topic of Andrea Peyser's popular newspaper column today, which is illustrated with a photo of a typical fire lady in typical fire gear, a sports bra. [NYP]

John Orlando, the only real-life firefighter who likes Rudy Giuliani, mysteriously got paid by Rudy's campaign for "political strategy consulting" three months after he alone praised America's Mayor in a Times article about how all the firefighters hate Rudy. We are thankful for Rudy's spokesman's response to HuffPo's investigation: "Are you suggesting that firefighters aren't capable of political strategy?" [HuffPo]