Foursome saved the lives of three students critically injured at the shootings at Columbine High School

Posted: Tuesday, October 19, 1999 - 10 PM

Source: Emergency Medical Services Assn. of Colorado

EMT-Paramedic Mark Gorman, EMT-Paramedic Monte Fleming, EMT-Paramedic John Aylward and EMT-Basic Jerry LoSasso, all firefighters at Littleton Fire Department, will be presented the "Gold Honor for Saving Life" Award by the Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado, at the annual Colorado State EMS Conference in Snowmass, Saturday, October 23.

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The award recognizes Colorado emergency medical service professionals who perform exceptional or heroic actions in saving, or attempting, to save the life of another. The profession recognizes that EMS personnel routinely provide life-sustaining services in the course of their work, and are often faced with certain danger: they may be subject to grave personal risk or danger in doing so. However, there are times when a person will display significant and exceptional heroism and face substantial risk of his own life in saving or attempting to save a patient.

Gorman, Fleming, Aylward and LoSasso saved the lives of three students critically injured at the shootings at Columbine High School. Early in the incident, two Littleton F.D. EMT-paramedic crews were assigned to the southwest parking lot to rescue injured students. As they were triaging the students who had been killed or injured they came under fire from the shooters in the library of the school. The law enforcement officers in the parking lot returned fire directly over the heads of the Littleton firefighters. Despite the gunfire they rescued three critically injured students and brought them out to safety. Although the students had already suffered critical injuries, they all survived because of the heroism of the four.

AP World Wide Photos/David Zalubowski Paramedics stand at the ready for patients in a cul-de-sac behind Bunny Clement Park near Columbine High School after two gunmen went on a shooting rampage through the school Tuesday, April 20 in the southwest Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo.

The four were nominated for the award by Littleton Fire Department EMS Division Chief Wayne Zygowicz. Said Zygowicz of the four, "These four EMS professionals performed heroically while under gunfire at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. They risked their own lives while under gunfire to rescue patients with critical gunshot wounds. Their actions most definitely saved the lives of these patients. All of the victims rescued from Columbine High School survived their injuries, which is a testimony to the EMS crews that arrived very early into the incident."

The Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado, is a professional society of emergency medical technicians, physicians, nurses and first responders who provide emergency medical care; and EMS dispatchers and educators. EMSAC's more than 1400 members work or volunteer for ambulance services (ground and air), fire departments, hospitals and clinics; as well as search and rescue teams, ski patrols, military medical or rescue units and medical training and educational institutions.