North Huntingdon EMS/Rescue announces death of paramedic in the line of duty

A North Huntingdon EMS/Rescue paramedic and rescue technician died Saturday, 11 days after suffering a cardiac arrest in the line of duty, officials said.

Fred Manno, 64, of Southwest Greensburg and his partner dropped a patient off at a township home July 19 when Manno had the medical emergency. He immediately was treated by his partner, who also was Manno’s best friend, according to EMS Director Shane Spielvogle.

Manno, who had been a paramedic for 40 years, was taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, where he died Saturday surrounded by family, coworkers and fellow firefighters.

Spielvogle described Manno as a great paramedic who was able to use his years of expertise to defuse issues and provide care.

“Fred treated patients the way that he would want his family to be treated,” he said.

Manno also was a firefighter and paramedic at Monroeville VFD/EMS No. 4, as well as past stints with other stations in the municipality and EMS agencies in the area. He originally was from Swissvale and lived in Penn Hills, Spielvogle said.

“His life was his work,” Spielvogle said. “If he wasn’t at North Huntingdon, he was at Monroeville No. 4.”

Manno had an affinity for dogs, especially one named Lady who lives with Manno’s lifelong friend in Murrysville, Spielvogle said.

“Everyone thought Lady was Fred’s dog,” he said, adding that Manno would often take Lady for exercise on his off days. “Fred was all dogs, all the time. He loved any dog.”

Spielvogle expressed appreciation for ambulance services in the area that have provided support, assistance, coverage and food to the North Huntingdon station during the past week and a half and will continue to in the coming days.

Manno is survived by several family members, according to his obituary.

Visitation will be held from 1 to 3 and 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Wolfe Memorial’s Forest Hills Chapel at 3604 Greensburg Pike. A service will be held there at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Manno’s body will be escorted by fire and EMS agencies to Coles Cemetery in Derry, a 32-mile trip.

Manno is the third paramedic to die in the line of duty in Westmoreland County during the past couple years.

Jeannette EMS paramedic William J. Sekora Jr. recently was honored in Pittsburgh. The Penn Township man died Oct. 8 at 63 after contracting covid-19. Sekora worked as a paramedic for 50 years.

Rostraver-West Newton EMS paramedic Matthew Smelser, 43, was hit and killed about 5:30 a.m. Jan. 5, 2020, by a tractor-trailer after he got out of his ambulance to tend to an accident victim along Interstate 70 in South Huntingdon. A bridge carrying the highway over the Youghiogheny River was renamed in his honor later that year.