Two Central Florida firefighters receiving treatment for life-threatening sepsis following flu bout

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. - Two Seminole County Fire Department (SCFD) firefighters remained in the hospital Thursday night as they continued to fight a serious infection following a bout with the flu.

The two cases are unrelated, the department says, as the firefighters worked at different stations. 

"I did not think I was going to make it at all," firefighter/paramedic Chris Askew said while speaking with FOX 35 via Zoom.

He's been at Orlando Regional Medical Center for nearly two weeks after developing sepsis due to a strep infection that got into his bloodstream. 

"Once a critical care team came [and] evaluated me, they were like, ‘Immediately have to get him unconscious and tubed,’" Askew said. "Two and a half days, I was tubed and unconscious."

He says he had to undergo surgery to have as much of the infection as possible removed from his chest, which left him with two chest tubes that are still inserted in his body.

"It's been a long road since I've gotten in here, and I feel like I've made some real big improvements. We actually walked down the hallway today doing some walking and did some exercise. But the pain really is the chest tubes and the pressure that I'm feeling around those areas," Askew said.

Since his admission to the hospital, his wife Danielle and their four children – one of whom made headlines back in 2020 after a stay at NICU – have received an outpouring of support from the community, with many donating Christmas presents for his children and delivering meals to his family.

"[I'm] blessed beyond belief. I'm very lucky, very emotional," Askew said. "I feel the most blessed out of anybody. There was so much support. It was wild."

While the worst may be over for Askew, a fellow firefighter isn't out of the woods yet.

Lt. Dave Williams, a public information officer with SCFD, spoke with FOX 35 on behalf of the family of battalion chief Dave Grant, who has been on a ventilator at the hospital for about a week.

"He was diagnosed with influenza, and it turned into pneumonia and that became septic," Williams said. "Unfortunately, it progressed rather rapidly, and he's currently fighting a life-threatening battle."

Dr. Michael Sparks, a board-certified family medicine physician, describes sepsis as someone's immune system cranking into overdrive.

"It's essentially this disordered response where instead of a healthy response to help clear the bacteria or clear the virus, it just goes wild," he said. "Your end organs, like your kidneys, your liver, your brain, your heart, all these organs that you need to have your normal body functions, they stop working the way that they should."

Getting medical attention as soon as possible is key.

"You can end up very quickly … I mean, within hours … going from a state of walking around at home, not feeling great to being on a ventilator in ICU with a ton of different medications," Dr. Sparks said. "The sooner you can jump on it, the quicker you can reverse these things."

It may be a while before Askew is back to his normal self, but he's thankful to have his wife, family, and coworkers by his side. 

"Really good to see that the brotherhood is still there and that people do care and they will take care of you when you need it," he said. 

Askew says doctors may be removing his chest tubes as early as Friday, and they may release him from the hospital as soon as Saturday. He expects he won't be able to return to work for about another month or two. He'll have to undergo physical therapy and wear a halter monitor for about a month.

As for Grant, he continues to fight for his life, according to Williams.