A judge heard five hours of testimony Wednesday in the case of two firefighters who are appealing the punishment they received after a firehouse hazing prank three months ago.

But it was far from the only example of firefighter horseplay he heard about.

There was testimony about lighted firecrackers being tossed into occupied shower stalls or at firefighters who were asleep on station couches. Many a firefighter holding a knife has snuck up on a fellow firefighter who was taking out the station’s trash.

And when the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department’s revised policy addressing hazing and initiations was explained to firefighter Joshua Brewer last year, one example included the painting of rookies’ genitals.

Brewer testified Wednesday in hopes of getting Judge Bob Herndon to reverse Brewer’s September demotion from sergeant to private. Herndon will also decide whether firefighter Christopher Hughes’ punishment should be changed.

The September hoax -- caught on video and posted on YouTube -- showed a masked gunman threatening firefighters inside a Peake Road fire station.

James Radford, the attorney representing both firefighters, contended that Brewer and Hughes were punished unfairly “because the public found out what happens in the fire department.”

Brewer, suspended for 10 days and demoted, wants his rank back and back pay. Hughes, who was fired, wants his job back after serving 10 days of suspension without pay.

Judd Drake, the attorney representing the city of Macon, argued that Fire Chief Marvin Riggins was justified in the punishments he imposed and his decisions were “supported by substantial evidence.”

Both firefighters were punished for violating a city policy regarding their conduct and a fire department policy prohibiting hazing and initiations.

Herndon said he would rule within 10 working days.

Riggins said he became aware of the online video on the morning of Sept. 19.

That afternoon, he interviewed eight firefighters from the station and began an investigation.

“I wanted to know how this occurred,” he said.

While Riggins said the department was “inundated” with calls after the video was discovered online, he said he’s not sure he’d say it became a political issue.

Hughes and Brewer “were quite candid” and “upfront” during the investigation, Riggins said.

Brewer has admitted that he recorded video of the prank, played on two rookie firefighters, on his cell phone and later mistakenly posted the video with a public access setting on YouTube. He testified Wednesday that he intended for the video to only be viewable by users given a private access link.

Hughes admitted that he’d furnished the BB gun used by the masked gunman and had recruited a friend to participate in the hoax. But he said he wasn’t the “mastermind” of the stunt.

Both men said they acted based on directions given by then-Capt. Stephanie Burke, who was acting as a battalion chief that night.

At first, Burke didn’t admit that she’d been involved in planning the hoax. She’d been acting in the capacity of battalion chief, a rank between captain and chief, on the night of the prank, Riggins said.

Evidence later came to light that Burke had been a participant in planning the joke.

The punishment for Burke, who was initially suspended for five days, was later demoted to lieutenant and given 20 days of suspension. The demotion is equal to a $10,000 pay cut, Riggins testified.

He said Burke’s rank and her dishonesty contributed to the change in punishment.

Other firefighters who weren’t involved in the planning of the prank received lesser punishments.

Riggins said he considered not just the firefighters’ participation in the prank, but also their disciplinary records.

In Hughes’ case, he had prior suspensions.

Riggins said he expected Brewer, as a supervisor of other firefighters, to show better judgment.

When asked why Hughes’ conduct warranted termination, Riggins said “I felt that the behavior and conduct of Mr. Hughes was inexcusable. He had totally crossed the line.”

Riggins admitted that he couldn’t recall an instance in which a firefighter was fired or demoted as a result of a similar prank.

While pranks have been played at fire stations for years, time and culture have changed to make the incidents potentially more dangerous and harmful, said Riggins, who said he’d been a victim of a prank in the past.

“There are other ways to have fun and build camaraderie,” he said.

Neither Hughes nor Brewer viewed the prank as a form of hazing or initiation.

Brewer said supervisors used the examples of pranks involving firefighters’ genitals when explaining the anti-hazing policy, which was revised last year.

Although Radford argued that Brewer and Hughes were following instructions given by Burke, their commanding officer, Riggins said a grievance process is available for firefighters to question the decisions of their supervisors.

“I think they are adults,” he said. “Their behavior has to mimic that.”

In his testimony, Hughes said he viewed Burke not just as his boss, but as a friend. He didn’t feel comfortable reporting her to other supervisors.

“They have ways of making it bad for you,” he said.

While Hughes and Brewer testified that no one was injured as a result of the prank, Riggins said one of the rookies targeted in the hoax has suffered psychological distress and feels “insecure at the station.”

Hearings for Burke and another firefighter disciplined in the incident are scheduled for January.

Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report.