The city fired a captain and suspended four firefighters Wednesday who, officials say, took part in a photo-taking session with two nude female strippers at a Tampa fire station. Capt. Al Suarez, a 20-year employee, was fired for reportedly arranging the visit, blocking the investigation and enticing and threatening those involved to cover up what had occurred. Four other firefighters present, found by a city investigation to be uncooperative and "untruthful" when first questioned, were suspended for between two and four weeks each.

The city's handling of a stripper scandal sent this message to Tampa firefighters: Lie to your superiors in a coverup attempt and your jobs will be spared if you come clean eventually. Mayor Pam Iorio's administration lost a timely opportunity to prove her recent ouster of the fire chief was not a sign the department had relaxed its disciplinary standards.

The city fired a captain and suspended four firefighters Wednesday who, officials say, took part in a photo-taking session with two nude female strippers at a Tampa fire station. Capt. Al Suarez, a 20-year employee, was fired for reportedly arranging the visit, blocking the investigation and enticing and threatening those involved to cover up what had occurred. Four other firefighters present, found by a city investigation to be uncooperative and "untruthful" when first questioned, were suspended for between two and four weeks each.

Fire departments operate in a quasi-military environment, where honesty is critical to the authority of the chain of command. A short suspension says the PR damage of cavorting with strippers is worse than the disregard these firefighters showed for the public trust that comes with their job. Taking up to 21 days to recant a false story hardly bolsters confidence in the judgment of firefighters who reportedly taped garbage bags over the station windows.

Iorio's ouster last fall of Fire Chief Aria Green, a disciplinarian whom she criticized for lacking leadership, should have made the city especially eager to crack the whip at the first opportunity. This tawdry episode should dispel any notion that permissiveness works and make the administration more aggressive about professionalizing the city's firehouse culture.