Steve Buscemi, Actor, Director and Former NYC Firefighter

Steve Buscemi discusses his time as a NYC firefighter, his return to that job in the days following September 11 and how he continues to advocate for active and retired firefighters.

On his first fire as an NYC firefighter: “It was an office within the warehouse that was engulfed in flames. And we worked our way towards it. And I'll never forget my captain, Captain Shulkin saying, ‘All right, Stevie, we're going in.’ And when I heard those words, my first thought was, ‘Why? What? It’s on fire! Oh right—we’re supposed to be here, this is what we’re supposed to do.’”

On working with fellow firefighters at the World Trade Center site after 9/11: “I went there to help, but it helped me being there, you know, because they let me in. You know, it was – to just witness that humanity. And that love, it was pure love.”
 

 

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The episode was recorded on September 8, 2021.