2025 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 634
Celebrating the life of Matthew Robert Chiaverotti.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 17, 2025
Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 2025
WHEREAS, Matthew Robert Chiaverotti, an esteemed firefighter with the Virginia Beach Fire Department and beloved member of the Virginia Beach community, died on April 17, 2023, from occupational cancer acquired in the line of duty; and
WHEREAS, after earning a bachelor's degree in resource economics from the University of Maine in 2002, where he served as an on-campus firefighter, Matthew Chevy Robert Chiaverotti graduated valedictorian from the Virginia Beach Fire Academy and embarked on a distinguished career with the Virginia Beach Fire Department (VBFD); and
WHEREAS, Chevy Chiaverotti was deeply committed to serving and protecting his community as a firefighter and rose through the ranks over his 20-year career to become captain of Engine 7 of the VBFD, as well as search team manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Virginia Task Force 2; and
WHEREAS, with his passion for service and unwavering selflessness, Chevy Chiaverotti embodied the ideals of the firefighting profession; he especially found great joy in visiting schools and community events as a firefighter and in encouraging young people to consider careers in service to their communities; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of his dedication, Chevy Chiaverotti was honored by the VBFD with the Medal of Honor and the Life Saving Award, each on three different occasions, as well as a Commendation Award, a Meritorious Conduct Award, and four Good Conduct Awards; and
WHEREAS, in April 2012, Chevy Chiaverotti bravely responded to a fire at an apartment complex in Virginia Beach following the crash of an F/A-18 jet; he was exposed to a significant amount of hazardous chemicals during this operation and developed a rare form of thyroid cancer several years later; and
WHEREAS, Chevy Chiaverotti's experience helped inspire advocacy efforts to expand worker's compensation benefits for firefighters to include certain presumptive cancers, ensuring that an untold number of firefighters and their families will receive the protection and support they deserve; and
WHEREAS, Chevy Chiaverotti is fondly remembered and dearly missed by his loving wife of 15 years; his son, Gus; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Matthew Robert Chiaverotti, a revered member of the Virginia Beach Fire Department whose courage and sacrifice made an impact on countless lives; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Matthew Robert Chiaverotti as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.