Littleton Fire Rescue EMS Staff

 Wayne Zygowicz

Wayne M. Zygowicz EMT-P, B.A.
E.M.S. Chief
Littleton Fire Rescue

Wayne Zygowicz is a native of the Chicago area. He attended Culver Military Academy for high school and graduated in 1974 as a first Lieutenant and "athlete of the year." Wayne went on to attend Albion College in Michigan and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology in 1979. He moved to Denver in 1980 to pursue a career in petroleum geology.

Wayne worked as a geologist in Denver for seven years. During that time, he became interested in the fire service and joined Wheat Ridge Volunteer Fire Department in 1982. He was trained as an EMT in 1982 and a paramedic in 1986. He worked with Wheat Ridge Fire for twelve years attaining the rank of training officer and assistant chief. In 1986 he was hired as a career paramedic/firefighter with the City of Sheridan, Colorado. He later left Sheridan Fire and was hired with Littleton Fire Rescue in 1990.

At Littleton Fire Rescue, Wayne has held the ranks of Firefighter, Paramedic, Paramedic/Lieutenant, and Paramedic Captain prior to being promoted to EMS Chief 1998. He has been an EMS Educator for the past seventeen years. He is a nationally known lecturer on EMS and an EMS instructor at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland on EMS Management and Leadership.

Under his direction and in concert with the members of Littleton Firefighters Local 2086, Littleton has become a full Advanced Life Support (ALS) service with eight ALS engine companies complimenting five ALS transport rescues. Littleton has progressed from private ambulance transport service to fire based transport.

Wayne has seven years experience working with a critical incident stress debriefing team and was largely responsible for dealing with the psychological effects and aftermath of the Columbine Shooting Incident. He is also instrumental in the development of the Littleton Fire Rescue's Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) team and is an active TEMS paramedic.

Wayne has been married for twenty-two years to his wife Corky, and has a son, Zachary Zygowicz, who is currently attending Culver Military Academy. Wayne is an avid skier, mountain biker, runner and weight lifter. He enjoys all forms of water sports.

Wayne's comments on EMS:
"EMS is one of the most rewarding and exciting careers that I could have ever imagined being involved with. No medical call is the same. As a paramedic, you are always challenged by your patient's medical situation and by the pace of new medical technology and information. I am very fortunate to be working in such a great community like Littleton and serving such a great group of dedicated employees. We have a very talented medical staff rich in knowledge, skills and EMS tradition. I can't think of any other place I would rather be working. Being a paramedic/firefighter is more then just a job, it's a calling."

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