OAKLAND — Oakland Fire Department personnel will escort the body of late interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan to a chapel in an informal procession Wednesday that will be the first of perhaps many subdued life-honoring activities created by the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.
The escort will begin at 4 p.m., when Laffan’s body leaves Summit Medical Center and is driven to Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, 4499 Piedmont Avenue.
Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. Rescue workers rushed him to Summit Medical Center in Oakland, where he died from cardiac arrest a little more than five hours after collapsing, fire spokesman Michael Hunt said.
Laffan had been elevated to the role of interim assistant chief in June and had been part of the department since 2000. He left behind his parents, his wife, Sabrina, and sons Caeden, Connor and Cooper. Caeden Laffan is a probationary firefighter within the department.
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Connor Laffan, with baseball cap, his uncle Johnny Cooper, to the left, grandfather Jim Cooper to the right, and brother Caeden, far right, and an Oakland firefighter console each other as the casket of Connor and Caeden’s father, Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan, is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Firefighters and family members including sons Caeden, a probationary Oakland firefighter, front right, and Cooper, back right, take the casket of their dad Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland Fire Captain David Macpherson, from engine 4 truck 2, salutes late Oakland Fire Department interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan during a procession along Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland firefighters from engine 4 truck 2, salute late Oakland Fire Department interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan during a procession along Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Medical personnel watch as the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan. (Oakland Fire Department)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Bright lights from Oakland Fire Department and Oakland Police vehicles are reflected on Lake Merritt during a procession in honor of late OFD interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan along Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: An Oakland firefighter comforts two women as the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland firefighters from Engine 8 watch as the procession with the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan is taken from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Sabrina Laffan and her son Connor console each other as they take the casket of her husband, Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan, from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Officers from the Oakland Police Department lead the procession in honor of late Oakland Fire Department interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan along Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Cooper Laffan, left, and his brother Connor, to the right, are consoled as the casket of their dad Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: A hearse transporting the body of late Oakland Fire Department interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan makes a turn on Piedmont Avenue from Broadway as OFD personal take part in a procession in his honor in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Medical personnel watch as the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Firefighters and family members including sons Caeden, a probationary Oakland firefighter, front center, and Cooper, rear center, take the casket of their dad Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland Fire Department engines and personal take part in a procession in honor of late OFD interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan along Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Connor Laffan, with baseball cap, is comforted by his uncle Jim Cooper, while his mom Sabrina, to the right, is comforted by her dad Jim Cooper, as the casket of his father, Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan, is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland firefighters from engine 4 truck 2, salute late Oakland Fire Department interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan during a procession along Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Connor Laffan, left, is consoled by his mom Sabrina and uncle Johnny Cooper as the casket of his dad, Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan, is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Officers from the Oakland Police Department lead the procession in honor of late Oakland Fire Department interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan along Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: An Oakland firefighters honor guard watches as the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Connor Laffan, left, and his brothers Cooper, to the right, and Caeden, behind with glasses on head, depart for the Chapel of the Chimes after the casket of their dad, Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan, is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland firefighters take part in a procession as the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan is taken from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: People console each as the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Bright lights from Oakland Fire Department and Oakland Police vehicles are reflected on Lake Merritt during a procession in honor of late OFD interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan along Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: People watch as the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Officers from the Oakland Police Department lead the procession in honor of late Oakland Fire Department interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan along Broadway and Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland firefighters from engine 4 truck 2, salute late Oakland Fire Department interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan during a procession along Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Sabrina Laffan, right, and her son Connor console each other as they watch the casket of her husband, Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan, being taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland Fire Department engines and personal take part in a procession in honor of late OFD interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan along Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. The OFD escorted the casket of Laffan around Oakland from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Laffan died Monday night after collapsing in an office inside the department’s Frank Ogawa Plaza location. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Connor Laffan, left, is consoled by his mom Sabrina and uncle Johnny Cooper as the casket of his dad, Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan, is taken from Summit Medical Center to a waiting hearse in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: The hearse carrying the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan arrives from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland firefighters watch as the procession carrying the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan to the Chapel of the Chimes passes on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Family members, including Connor Laffan, with baseball cap, are consoled as the casket of his father, Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan, arrives at the Chapel of the Chimes on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland firefighters watch as the procession carrying the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan to the Chapel of the Chimes passes on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland firefighter Nathan Leal stands with other color guard members as the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan arrives at the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Oakland firefighter Lt. Jesse Kupers, right, and others watch as the procession carrying the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan arrives from Summit Medical Center to the Chapel of the Chimes on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Sabrina Laffan is comforted as the procession carrying the casket of her husband, Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan, arrives at the Chapel of the Chimes on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 18: A Chapel of the Chimes employee stands by as the casket of Oakland interim Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan arrives at the Chapel of the Chimes on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Laffan, 42, died in the hospital around 10:15 p.m. Monday night after going into a prolonged cardiac arrest. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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Hunt said the department was downplaying the event as a procession, because they didn’t want to pressure other departments into attending a more formal event. Alameda County, like most other counties in the state, went into the Purple Tier this week because of COVID-19’s most recent outbreak, and big gatherings have been discouraged.
The route from the hospital will go past locations of significant for Laffan and his family, including stations where he spent much of his career.
The department has not announced any further plans to celebrate Laffan’s life, but Hunt said those are being planned and will be “based on the needs and wishes” of Laffan’s family.