Connecticut Firefighter Dies at Home After Working Nearly 40-Hour Shift

A longtime Connecticut firefighter died Friday after suffering a medical emergency soon after he got home from working a nearly 40-hour continuous shift.

Anthony DeSimone, a 23-year veteran of the North Haven Fire Department, had just finished 38 straight hours on the job when he collapsed in front of his family, the department said in a Facebook post.

The husband and father of two was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital, where attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, department officials said.

DeSimone suffered a "fatal cardiac incident," a statement from the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut says.

He was 50 years old.

According to his obituary, DeSimone was a 1991 graduate of North Haven High School. He served as a volunteer firefighter before he became a career firefighter in 2000.

DeSimone was also active in the North Haven Knights of Columbus and coached in the local little league.

Pasquale Nuzzolillo, chairperson of the board of fire commissioners, which oversees the North Haven department, told the New Haven Register DeSimone was "one of the pillars of the community."

“He was a person who would always be willing to step up and volunteer to do whatever was necessary," Nuzzolillo said.

DeSimone was on the verge of being promoted to lieutenant after he recently passed a test, Nuzzolillo told the newspaper.

“He has touched many people in the town of North Haven, whether it be as a firefighter in their worst moments of need or by just being out there and meeting people in a restaurant, shaking hands and embracing folks,” Nuzzolillo said.

A funeral and burial is planned for Thursday, according to the obituary.