Certainly in the bizarre world of New York City’s notoriously bloated fire fighting bureaucracy. Five of the rotten apple’s top paid firefighters are opting to seek disability pay — over $100,000 a year, tax-free — rather than face demotion.

Although a regular pension would pay them at least half of their current six figure salaries, these brave souls have decided they are disabled. As Division Commander Salvatore Sansone says “you are foolish if you don’t apply.” Salvatore is seeking an annual pension of $115,000. We assume that New York’s public servants consider anyone a fool who only expects to be rewarded for honest labor.

By strange coincidence, all of these “firefighters” — who have probably not been on a fire truck in decades — only became disabled once the pending reorganization, and thus their demotions, where announced.

Meanwhile, four ex-firefighters were indicted last December for failing to report outside income while collecting disability pensions.

(Source: New York Daily News.)