South Jersey school says ‘no’ to ‘The Simple Life’

After getting the cold shoulder in a rural town, Paris Hilton and her reality show are now headed for the city.

The celebrity heiress and her Fox reality show, “The Simple Life,” whose plans to film at a school in nearby Buena Vista Township were dashed, will instead film this week at a city fire station.

“Some guys are excited about it,” said fire Capt. William Brooks, who heads an engine company at the Chief John J. Jasper Jr. Memorial Fire Station, where filming is slated for Friday.

Firefighters have signed waivers for production company Bunim-Murray Productions and agreed to remain mum about the filming. Brooks would not give details or say whether the city would be paid by producers. Fire Chief John J. Bereheiko did not return telephone calls seeking comment Tuesday.

The show’s third season, which premieres Jan. 26, has the 22-year-old Hilton and co-star Nicole Richie traveling the nation, working as interns in a series of menial jobs.

On Monday, Buena Regional School District officials who had planned to put the two to work as middle school substitute teachers and cafeteria monitors withdrew the welcome mat following an uproar from parents and others. Opponents called Hilton a bad example for young children.

Producers had approached school officials in December, offering $5,000 for the right to film at the J.P. Cleary Middle School. School officials liked the idea, and sent permission forms and a letter from the show’s production company to parents last week.

But some said Hilton — who achieved notoriety in part through a pornographic home video — had no business being around children. Others feared that the show would lead to ridicule for their small community 30 miles west of Atlantic City.