The North Haven Fire Commission held a special meeting Monday night and promoted firefighter Anthony DeSimone posthumously to lieutenant.
DeSimone died suddenly at home after a 38-hour shift last Thursday evening.
The 23-year veteran of the department had been working toward achieving the rank of lieutenant and was on the department's promotion list, according to the fire department.
“The elevation of FF DeSimone to the rank was inevitable, he had studied hard and committed himself to furthering his education within the fire service,” North Haven Fire Chief Paul Januszewski said in a statement.
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Chief Januszewski says DeSimone collapsed when he returned home and was taken to the hospital but couldn’t be revived.
DeSimone also was an active community member being a part of the Knights of Columbus and North Haven Little League.
Chief Januszewski said DeSimone was close with fallen firefighter Matthias Wirtz, who died in December after fighting a fire in North Haven. DeSimone carried the urn at Wirtz’s funeral and served as the department liaison for the family.
The funeral service for DeSimone will be held this week.
The visiting hours for Lt. DeSimone will be held Wednesday, Aug. 30, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the North Haven Funeral Home at 36 Washington Ave. in North Haven.
The funeral will be held at St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish at St. Therese Church, 555 Middletown Ave. in North Haven at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
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