by MATTHEW LYSIAK and ADAM LISBERG
One corner of Brooklyn likes its hookers - and wants to keep them happy.
On the streets of Red Hook Sunday, old-timers and newcomers alike said the FDNY should ease up on Engine 279/Ladder 131, whose firefighters call themselves the Happy Hookers.
FDNY brass ordered the station to change its nickname and logo two years ago amid a crackdown on monikers like the Bronx's 90 Proof and Staten Island's Southern Comfort.
"It's a crying shame that anyone would demand they change that logo," said retired postal worker Walter Alms, 76. "These are young men who are risking their life for our community, and some bureaucrat ... is going to tell them they aren't politically correct?"
As the Daily News reported Sunday, the FDNY has again ordered the station to paint over the name on its door. None of the firefighters there would talk yesterday, but neighbors were quick to defend them.
"All the problems in Brooklyn, and the government is worried about a logo on a door?" asked Amanda Rival, 38.
"The question should be, 'Would I trust these men with my life?' And the answer is an emphatic 'yes.' Besides, they're happy hookers, not depressed or abused hookers or anything like that."
The FDNY's move prompted outrage and disbelief among readers at nydailynews.com - but also some agreement.
"While this type of nickname does not bother me, when worn off duty it should not be part of any 'official uniform' or any 'official' part of a firehouse," wrote "copwife." "Imagine the NYPD doing anything like this. It would result in suspensions and lost vacation time."
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