Jack Slivinski, 31, posed shirtless in low-slung jeans in front of a city fountain.
It was supposed to be for a calendar featuring the chiseled Slivinski and 11 other firefighters, slated to be released this year.
But Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said such shoots violate department policy.
Now, Slivinski has been bounced from his engine assignment and is being investigated for violating protocols.
He said the department has long been opposed to such "beefcake" calendars.
"We don't sell sex, we sell safety," Ayers said. "That's been our mantra for the longest time."
If that's the case, some firefighters wonder why Commissioner Ayers decided to make what appears to be a commercial in his uniform that someone posted on YouTube promoting Black and Noble, a Nicetown-Tioga book store that specializes in urban literature from Christian books to smut. In the video Ayers can be heard saying, "Black and Noble for all of my intellectual sources whether its video, tapes, music, the book that I have to have is here and we need to make sure that we support Black and Noble, that's what it's all about. (Thank you, very much and your name?) Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers." Commissioner Ayers declined to respond on camera about this, but in a statement he says, 'I went to the store to get black literature and the guy stuck a camera in my face to say things about the store, but I didn't know he was going to put it on YouTube. I don't see how this issue ties in to the calendar controversy.' "It's a double standard," Mike Kane of Firefighters Union Local 22 said. The firefighters union is steamed.
"You're not going to get a better firefighter than this kid," Kane said.
The proceeds from the calendar, being produced by New York-based photographer Katherine Kostreva and her company, On Point Publishing, were supposed to go to charity.
While he has nothing against Slivinski, Ayers said, those who break the rules have to pay a price.
Slivinski's penalty could range from a letter of reprimand to a suspension.
His photo also likely won't be used in the calendar.