05/21/2026
With Memorial Day approaching, we would like to honor a couple of individuals who wear a third “hat.”
Today, we spotlight Firefighters Kayla Colwye and Madison Atwood. Both recently obtained their EMT certification while continuing to serve our country as military servicemembers.
Firefighter Kayla Colwye joined the Shelby County Fire Department in 2025 and received her EMT certification last week. When asked what she thinks about the EMS field, Kayla said, “It makes you look at the bigger picture!”
Kayla currently serves as a Senior Airman in the Air National Guard and has served for three and a half years. Specializing in Human Resources and Administration, Kayla did not have much medical experience before joining the fire service. While in the military, she attended a Tactical Combat Casualty Care course, which introduced her to the importance of hemorrhage control. That experience opened her eyes to emergency services and the fire department.
Kayla moved to Memphis four years ago from Arkansas and worked several jobs before finding her calling. In her free time, she enjoys bowling, going on cruises, traveling, and drawing. She has two cats named McSteamy and McDreamy, as well as a dog named Benito. When asked what motivates her to keep pushing, Kayla replied, “I CAN do hard things.”
Firefighter Madison Atwood joined SCFD in the latter part of 2025 after moving from Washington state. Like her counterpart, Madison also obtained her EMT license last week. Having no EMS licensure prior to joining the fire department, Madison considers EMS an interesting part of the job. While completing EMT school, she developed an eagerness to learn more about anatomy and looks forward to attending Advanced EMT school.
Madison holds the rank of Specialist in the Army National Guard and has served as a Fire Support Specialist for five and a half years. After becoming a Combat Lifesaver as an additional duty, Madison’s medical experience remained limited, but that course piqued her interest in EMS and drove her to expand her skillset.
In her free time, Madison enjoys riding her Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, playing video games, and traveling the world. She is also a proud cat mom to W***y and Willow, whom she loves to spoil rotten.
Let’s take our hats off to these two individuals as they successfully juggle three roles: military servicemember, firefighter, and now EMT.
