Steve Buscemi has always had a very likable ‘everyman’ quality about himself, on-screen and off-screen.  The reason this quality stands out in Buscemi may very well be the reason he was inclined to join the great FDNY.

From about 1980 to 1984, Buscemi served among New York’s greatest heroes as a firefighter.  According to one report, Buscemi’s job was to ‘control the hose’ during fires.  He was also often tasked with some late shifts, during which he would spend some time glancing at B-movies playing in the background and realizing that he could act.

After breaking into show business, Buscemi did not forget his roots.  As the image meme above implies, Buscemi quietly went back to his old firehouse in Little Italy after 9/11, rejoining his brothers in working 12 hour shifts to sift through debris and search for survivors.

Buscemi did not publicize any of this at the time, only wanting to do what we true to his heart:  help others and help his brothers do so.

What a great guy.  Here are some great pictures from around the net of Buscemi working post-9-11, and then another photo of him as a probie with the FDNY.