Metro

Alleged FDNY firebug ‘thief’ bragged taxpayer-funded rehab for heroin was like ‘paid vacation’ – ‘As long as I ask for help, I can’t lose my job’: source

The firefighter busted for allegedly calling in false alarms so he could steal from fellow FDNY smoke-eaters is a heroin junkie who bragged that his taxpayer-funded stints in rehab were paid vacations, a source told The Post.

Joseph Keene, 34, of Hicksville, LI, was arraigned in Staten Island Criminal Court yesterday on multiple counts of felony burglary, falsely reporting an incident and other charges for the rash of thefts between May 24 and June 11. The source said Keene was treated for his drug habit at a rehab facility outside Philadelphia in September.

“Joe was there for his third in-patient stay since the beginning of 2012, and loved telling that it was all paid for by FDNY, and he was still being paid his full salary,” the source said.

“This guy is a smack-ass fraternity kinda guy,” added the source, a nonfirefighter who was also undergoing treatment at the facility.

Keene, the source said, bragged about his generous benefits and job security, despite his addiction.

“This is my third in-patient stay since January — 35 days the first and second time, and I’m getting 35 again. It’s all paid for by the job,” Keene said, according to the source.

“As long as I ask for help, I can’t lose my job [and] I’m still getting full pay while I’m here,” Keene said, the source recalled.

After his arraignment yesterday, Keened yelled, “Oh, come on!” to reporters as he was led from court to a van for the ride to Rikers Island.

He has been held in lieu of $7,500 bond since his arrest July 18.

Keene allegedly made four phony calls — on his own cellphone — reporting gas odors, sparking transformers and other fake emergencies in Queens and on Staten Island. When firefighters from the closest houses responded, Keene would go through their lockers for cash, snagging anywhere from $40 to $1,200 at a time, for a total haul of about $2,000, authorities said.

Keene, who earned $76,488 in 2012, also stole cash from an FDNY facility on Randalls Island and from a Queens firehouse.

City Department of Investigation and NYPD investigators confronted Keene on July 18, and he admitted to both the phone calls and the thefts, authorities said.

A fellow firefighter confirmed that Keene was a drug addict, but also defended his colleague.

“Joe is a stand-up guy when he’s sober, the greatest guy; he’ll do anything for anybody But when that demon heroin comes a creepin’ . . . this is what happens,” the firefighter said. “Joe’s been to the farm three times. It’s not uncommon for the city to send guys six, seven, eight, nine times to rehab. What he did was f–ked up, no question, but he’s sick.”

Additional reporting by Antonio Antenucci