(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) is mourning the loss of their former physician advisor, Dr. Marilyn Gifford. She is considered a pioneer in the emergency medical field, not just in Colorado Springs, but nationwide.

Dr. Gifford passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at the age of 80.

“Dr. Gifford was one of the first women who chose emergency medicine as a specialty at a time when clearly there weren’t a lot of female physicians in any field,” said Steven Dubay, deputy fire chief for CSFD.

Dr. Gifford was working in Boulder until the late 1970’s and already making a name for herself.

“One of the things that she did and was known for was developing pre-hospital medical protocols. Those are the standards that guide a paramedics’ performance, serving patients outside of the hospital in the field,” Dubay said.

In 1979, she moved to Colorado Springs to become the physician advisor and emergency room director at Memorial Hospital.

“I became a paramedic in 1980,” said CSFD Chief Randy Royal. “And in May of 1980 is when she became the physician advisor for the Colorado Springs Fire Department. And I was a medic for about 30 years, and most of that time was under her direction.”

Back then, there were only a few Colorado Springs paramedics, and when Dr. Gifford came in, she hit the ground running.

“Within a couple of months of her getting in here and taking over as a physician advisor, she totally changed the system,” Chief Royal said. “She took our advanced life support up to a level that had never been seen before… and actually was probably one of the top in the nation.”

She was a pioneer in the industry, but also fiercely loyal to those on her team.

“When you were on Dr. Giffords team, she absolutely would go to battle for you in front of anybody else,” Dubay said.

She also had a passion and a heart for those she served.

“She was making sure she had a high expectation of the care that we provided out in the field, that it had to be the best and it had to be excellent,” Chief Roybal said.

Not only was she excelling in all of that, but she was also raising a family, and her two sons found success in their careers.

“One is a practicing physician in town. One is a practicing attorney in the Denver metro area,” Dubay said. “So, in addition to being, you know, just a great physician advisor — a mom.”

The family is having a funeral service at 2 p.m., on Jan. 22 at the Shrine of Remembrance. CSFD will have a number of firefighters and paramedics present to honor her memory.