State your name: Joseph Schiliro Jr

Where are you from and where do you live now: I live in Dobbs Ferry but I am from all over because of my family situation. I have lived in hartsdale til seventh grade then moved to yonkers til 10th grade. Then i moved out to Scarsdale with my brother who is a year older so the both of us could go to high school.

What’s your story: My parents were divorced because my mother was a junkie.  I went to three different high schools.  I have an older brother who is my fathers favorite and my sister is my grandmothers favorite so lucky me was moms favorite. I was in the unique position (because my mom brought me everywhere) to see a lot of ridiculous things that molded who I am today. I moved out and lived with my one year older brother while we were still in high school.

Wow.  So it’s fair to say that you learned to be pretty independent from an early age.  How long have you been a member of the FDNY: Ive been a fireman for a little over 7 years.

What inspired you to want to be a fireman: I had no real inspiration. Dumb luck I would say.  An ex girlfriend’s father asked me to take the test because he wanted his son to take it and he wouldnt take it alone so he paid for me to go.

Interesting.  So obviously (and fortunately) you weren’t FDNY during 9/11, but what’s the craziest thing you’ve been involved in as a fireman: Ah fire stories!  I make it a habit not to dish these out because a lot of them are a little unbelievable, but I will toss you a few.  I have been a part of many multiple alarms because of the area I am in, but a regular all hands can be just as hairy and unbelievable.  I have crawled over burnt corpses dead animals.  I’ve seen people jump six stories to avoid being burned, and Ive seen people barbecued because they were afraid to jump.  But it is not just fire.  I have pulled half bodies and parts out of vehicle accidents, and seen people hit the pavement, missing the water jumping off the George Washington Bridge.  I have a very interesting job (laughing).

Do you guys really rescue cats from trees: As odd as it sounds, we are actually not allowed to rescue cats from trees.  The job sees it as a unnecessary risk.  That being said…. yes I have been part of a feline rescue in more than one instance.  I have taken a cat out of a tree successfully and I have attempted to retrieve a cat from the top of a sign on a taxpayer unsuccessfully.  The cat jumped into the cock loft of the store and was electrocuted. Whoops!

(laughing) Man that’s horrible!  So how long have you been married: I’ve been married a little over 5 years.

How would you say marriage has changed you or your state of mind: If my state of mind has changed I can’t really tell.  I still do ridiculous things and put myself in stupid situations.

(laughing) Ok. What do you think is particularly cool about marriage: I kind of like everything about it.  My wife makes it pretty easy on me. We don’t suffocate each other.  We still have our lives and we still go out, whether it be together or alone with our friends.  I see a lot of married couples that complain and I feel its because most of them had to give something up when they got married.  My wife likes just about everything I do,  so I didn’t have to give anything up.  Its the small things that make it work.

How many kids do you have: Two kids:  my daughter Paige is 3, and my son Joseph is 11 months.

How would you say having kids has changed you or your state of mind: The kids have really changed my state of mind because I live for them now, and every bad decision I make I think of how it will affect them.  I still haven’t stopped being me, but now I make sure I get home safe and get up with them in the morning.  I don’t care if I stroll in at 5:30 and the kids get up at 6.  I’m up with them because my wife works in the morning.  If she doesn’t have to be at work then I get a snow day (laughing).

Do you think your tumultuous childhood affected the way you live your life as a husband and a father?  Like did you ever consciously say “I’m never going to let my kids see the things I saw.”: I don’t think I ever said to myself that I would never let my kids see the shit I saw.   Naturally every parent wants to protect their children, but I guess the way my experiences influence the way I raise my kids is I will never want my kids to be taken advantage of, because they don’t know any better.  I believe that seeing and learning the dark side of life is just as important as learning everything else.  I want my kids to be street savvy as well as book smart.  I feel seeing what I did and what my siblings did not has given me an advantage in life that they didn’t have.  I am definitely a little “dark passenger,” but I feel that is a strong side of my personality that has allowed me to accomplished what I have, and allowed me to truly appreciate it.

So word on the streets is that you have a legendary Man Cave: My man cave? (laughing).  I have a basement that has a 52 inch TV in the center, with two 37 inches on flanking the main.  They are all on there own Direct TV box so I can watch all different games whether it be football or any other sport.  It has custom built cabinets and my crown molding is actually a DVD rack.  I have all different kinds of memorabilia ranging from signed pictures to signed hats and balls.

How did the cave come about.  Any friction from your wife: It came about because I had the space and It was something I wanted.   I didnt get any friction from my wife because she is a Colts fan, watches football as much as me, and we never have to miss a game because of the setup.  One reason why my five years of marriage have been a bunt, is that I found myself in woman form: Crazy, passionate and unpredictable in life and sports.  Just the right amount of spice to keep it new every day!

What’s on the horizon for you in the future? Any plans of posing shirtless in a calendar with a giant water hose: My future… I would say a lot more of the same.   I have a couple of country concerts coming up, the ski races and few other things.   Busy busy busy.  I am looking to upgrade my house, my man cave, and a couple more kids and tattoos.  As for the calander…. Unless they are willing to fit me on multiple months I dont see that happening…. Im not really the jersey shore type (laughing).