Firefighting Was His Life; Engineer/Driver Dies Of COVID-19

TEMPLE TERRACE, FL ? His wife, Francesca, said Giovanni Ciancio was destined to be a firefighter.

"He was always a dynamic person, a risk-taker who loved adventure but with a very kind heart," said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Chief Dennis Jones, interpreting for Francesca Ciancio, who only speaks Italian. "He was selfless and always wanted to help others. Firefighting was in his blood."

The 19-year driver/engineer for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue died Oct. 21 at the age of 55 from complications after contracting the coronavirus while on the job.

On Wednesday, fellow firefighters from throughout Tampa Bay bid Ciancio farewell in a tribute that included a mile-long procession of fire engines, ambulances, ladder trucks and other first responder apparatus that traveled 23 miles from Love First Christian Center in Riverview to Riverhills Church of God in Temple Terrace where his funeral took place.

Born in Switzerland, he and his family moved to Italy when he was 5 years old. That's where he learned to appreciate "American futbol" while all his friends were kicking around a soccer ball.

He went on to play linebacker in the Italian version of the Super Bowl before emigrating to the United States while in his 20s and becoming a SWAT paramedic for Sunstar Paramedics, the ambulance service for Pinellas County.

He joined Hillsborough County Fire Rescue on April 8, 2002, as a fire medic.

"He chose Hillsborough County Fire Rescue because he wanted to be a part of a community that stood together in brotherhood," Jones said.

In 2015, Ciancio took the exam to be promoted to a driver/engineer.

"I was honored to personally call him a few days before Christmas to tell him he placed No. 3 out of 153 candidates on the exam," Jones said. Ciancio began his new duties on Dec. 27.

"It turned out to be a pretty good Christmas present, I thought, but the gift turned out to really be for our department," Jones said.

Ciancio signed up to take the fire rescue's advanced leadership class but died before the class began.

Last week, when the class got underway, Jones placed a small table covered with a white tablecloth in the classroom. On it, he sat a vase of roses and Ciancio's name card.

"And throughout the week, Gianni was there with us in spirit," Jones said, momentarily choking up.

When he wasn't fighting fires, his wife said he loved hiking with his dog, fishing and hunting. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter and two grandchildren.

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Since the Ciancios have family in Switzerland and Italy who were unable to attend the funeral, the service was in both English and Italian, and livestreamed, so his relatives could watch.

It ended with the traditional "last alarm from dispatch," a final transmission from the Emergency Dispatch Center over all radios, said in both languages.

See related story: Hillsborough County Firefighter Dies From COVID-19 Complications