The professor, who teaches art and animation, shared the photo on his Google+ account, where it was then seen by several of his colleagues. One such co-worker, a dean at the community college, interpreted the tagline to be a threat.

Schmidt was called into an emergency meeting with college officials during the school’s winter break and asked to identify the phrase — which yielded more than 4 million hits on Google. When the art professor inquired as to why the tagline was seen as a threat, a security official told him “fire” could be a reference to “AK-47s.”

Those who watch “Game of Thrones” or conduct a simple Google search of the show can assume “fire” references dragons — which are not real.

The professor, who is quite popular among students, was then placed on leave without pay. Before he can return to campus, Schmidt was told he would have to be cleared by a psychiatrist.

Bergen Community College faculty are currently engaged in a debate with the school’s administration. The faculty union cast a vote of no-confidence in Bergen’s president, B. Kaye Walter. And Schmidt believes his suspension is an act of retribution by officials after he filed a grievance against the college about him being passed over for a sabbatical, he told NJ.com.

But Bergen Community College officials are sticking to their guns — er, dragons — and cited recent incidents of gun violence as reason for Schmidt’s suspension.

“The referenced incident refers to a private personnel matter at Bergen Community College,” Larry Hlavenka, a spokesman for the school, said in a statement. “Since January 1, 2014, 34 incidents of school shootings have occurred in the United States. In following its safety and security procedures, the college investigates all situations where a member of its community — students, faculty, staff or local residents — expresses a safety or security concern.”