Before he was a “Joker,” Brian “Q” Quinn was an FDNY firefighter.
The internationally known comedian, 47, spent nearly a decade at Ladder Co. 86 on Richmond Avenue in Graniteville. It’s a chapter the “Impractical Jokers” star looks back on fondly, both for the work he did keeping Staten Islanders safe and for the local causes he joined that still remain important to him.
Among those causes: Friends of Firefighters. Founded by Nancy Carbone following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center, the 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization provides independent, confidential and free mental health counseling and wellness services to active and retired FDNY firefighters and their family members.
The Brooklyn-born, Staten Island-raised prankster had his sights set on a career with the FDNY from a young age.