On August 22, 2015, a 40-year-old male volunteer fire fighter (FF), Lawrence G. Sesso, responded with an assistant chief to aide in command of a fire at an assisted living facility. On arrival, he found the fire had been extinguished. He departed to a neighboring town and marched approximately 1 mile in a parade.
Approximately 90 minutes after completing the parade, the FF became unresponsive when being driven back to the fire station by another Fire Department (FD) member. The driver proceeded directly to a nearby ambulance station. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated. Following placement of an automated external defibrillator, three shocks were provided. The FF was transported to the hospital emergency department (ED) where his EKG indicated a heart attack. Despite advance care he was pronounced dead at 2305 hours.
The death certificate and autopsy listed atherosclerotic coronary heart disease as the immediate cause of death. Cardiomegaly and obesity were identified as significant conditions contributing to death. The autopsy revealed severe stenosis in the left anterior descending coronary artery, cardiomegaly, and left ventricular hypertrophy. NIOSH investigators concluded that the physical
stress of participating in a parade on a warm summer day may have triggered his heart attack.
Key Recommendation
• Phase in a mandatory comprehensive wellness and fitness program for fire fighters.
Name: Lawrence G. Sesso
Rank: Firefighter
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: 08/22/2015
Fire Department: Sayville Fire Department
Age: 40
Years of Service: 23
Incident Description: An hour after responding to a commercial structure fire, Firefighter Sesso participated in a fire department parade including multiple fire departments. On his way home, Sesso suffered a cardiac arrest. Firefighter Sesso was transported to the Southside Hospital but did not survive his injury.
On August 22, 40 y/o Firefighter Lawrence Sesso of the Sayville VFD located in New York died in the LOD.