VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach Fire Department Captain Matt “Chevy” Chiaverotti died Monday after battling a rare, aggressive form of cancer.
The Virginia Beach Professional Fire & EMS union made the announcement on social media.
Chiaverotti had been diagnosed with Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer (ATC), metastatic carcinoma.
News 3 covered Chiaverotti's story closely as the Virginia Beach community rallied to his support.
Chiaverotti spent more than 20 years with VBFD. Ten years ago, he was one of the responders on the ground at the ‘Good Friday Miracle’ jet crash in Virginia Beach.
It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we share the line of duty passing of Captain Matt “Chevy” Chiaverotti. It is impossible to describe the depth of Chevy’s impact on our department & the tragedy of losing him far too soon.@IAFFLocal2924 #VATF2 #captain #firefighter pic.twitter.com/zzbr8VAIUP
— VBFD (@VirginiaBeachFD) April 18, 2023
Most recently, he was behind Engine 7 in Virginia Beach, serving as captain of one of the busiest trucks in the Resort City. He also spent many years as a member of Virginia Task Force 2, even deploying across the U.S. Haiti and Puerto Rico.
A statement from Chiaverotti's family is as follows:
We want to express our deepest appreciation to everyone who has reached out to us after losing our beloved Captain Matt Chiaverotti (Chevy). Please know that it is your love, kindness, support, and generosity, that has carried us through the incredibly difficult journey we’ve traveled over this past year. Because of you, we have not walked alone. We have heard from so many people who were positively impacted by Chevy throughout his career. This has provided much peace and comfort to us, and for that we are eternally grateful. We will not be providing interviews at this time, as we are currently making plans for his service later this week. Once we finalize his service details, we will share that information with all of you.
With Much Love and Appreciation,
The Family of “Chevy” Chiaverotti
