‘Fireman’ under fire

Eight-time national Soca Monarch winner Delroy ‘Fireman’ Hooper has come in for harsh criticism over his behaviour during the jump-up on Mardi Gras, which was captured in a minute-long video that has been making the rounds on social media.

The video shows a barebacked Fireman, dressed only in a pair of blue shorts and wearing {{more}}a yellow headpiece, sitting on the ground with his face buried in the crotch of a gyrating female masquerader.

As the lady gyrates into Fireman’s face, another female masquerader approaches from the back and begins to dance provocatively behind the artiste’s head.

The video, filmed in Kingstown during the annual Mardi Gras Street jump-up on Tuesday, July 5, has created a heated discussion on Facebook with a large number of persons describing the dance routine as “embarrassing” and “disrespectful” for someone of the soca bard’s stature.

SEARCHLIGHT was unsuccessful in our attempts to reach Fireman for comment yesterday, but his manager Heric Horne said that the artiste is extremely sorry if his behaviour has offended persons.

“Fireman has always believed in entertaining the masses by any means and he has done so successfully over the years. In the video, that is what he was engaged in. However, he is deeply sorry if his behaviour was offensive and he would like to apologize to his many fans,” said Horne.