Joe Miccio

Joseph A. Miccio is a retired N.Y.C. Firefighter and multiple award-winning designer of educational products, most notably QuickChess®, distributed worldwide by Roo Games, over 300,000 sold. Roo will be releasing this year an interactive comic book he’s written and designed, FIREFIGHTING CHAMPIONS OF THE GALAXY—firefighters merge with the powers of their mystical chess set. He’s authored three novels ready to publish, articles for education and specialty toy industry magazines, and was editor of FDNY’s labor union newsletter for many years.

Joe attended Purdue University for accounting, served as a behavioral science instructor in NYPD’s police academy before graduating his fire academy class with valedictorian honors, served two 2-year terms on an advisory committee to the U.S. Secretary of Labor. Immediately after the WTC attacks he co-founded the September 11th Families Association and the Coalition of 9-11 Families to fight successfully for a dignified recovery of victims’ remains and to give victims’ families a voice.

Joe was made an Honorary Conch by Wilhelmina Harvey in 2001. He’s a USCG licensed 100-ton captain, former commercial fisherman in Montauk, Oceanic Society research vessel captain. He recently finished restoring his 57’ vintage 1980 private yacht, the FIREFIGHTER MIKE CARLO—named after his colleague killed on 9-11 who loved Key West. Joe keeps the Firefighter Mike Carlo in Garrison Bight—his home base for writing, spearfishing, lobster diving, fishing, playing doubles volleyball on Higgs Beach with his friends, and music occasionally with Key West’s ukelele gang. Joe is married, with a teenage daughter and an adult son.