Greenwich Mourns The Sudden Passing Of Dan Warzoha

GREENWICH, CT — While the past 18 months have been filled with hectic and uncertain times, a steady voice in the Town of Greenwich helped navigate the way. It's a voice that will be missed by the community for years to come.

Dan Warzoha, Greenwich's Emergency Management Operations Director and a former fire chief in town, passed away suddenly over the weekend. He was 68 years old.

First Selectman Fred Camillo knew Warzoha for about 40 years, and remembers him as a calming presence during meetings, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"He was a reassuring voice each day, checking in with the numbers on a daily basis, and also giving us his feedback and his take on things through his long experiences working in public safety. He also had a really extensive list of contacts at the state level, which really helped us," Camillo told Patch on Monday.

There was more to Warzoha than just conversations about work. Camillo noted Warzoha's love for his hometown, and the pride he felt as a son of Glenville.

"He was just a very calming influence with everybody, and also a great guy. Whenever you saw Danny you just didn't talk shop," Camillo added. "You could talk politics, you could talk government, you could talk sports and his beloved New York Giants and Yankees. It was always a pleasant conversation with him."

Warzoha was appointed as a coordinator for emergency management in Greenwich in 2005, and was named director in August of 2007. In his role, Warzoha helped coordinate Greenwich's emergency response plans among town and private organizations that play key or ancillary roles in responding to an incident of mass casualty, disaster or bioterrorism that may occur in or around Greenwich.

Former First Selectman Peter Tesei worked with Warzoha closely during his tenure as Greenwich's top elected official from 2007 to 2019.

"Over the 30 years I have known and subsequently worked closely with Dan Warzoha, his primary focus was on the safety and well being of the citizens of Greenwich. During my 12 year administration of the Town, Dan led our response to several weather events, Hurricane Sandy being one," Tesei said in an email to Patch. "His knowledge of the infrastructure and community assets was invaluable in fulfilling the mission of keeping people safe. This was his priority and his passing is a tremendous loss for the Town. My heart goes out to his family and in particular the Glenville Community where his service to the Fire Department began."

Warzoha was chief of the Greenwich Fire Department from 1999 to 2005. Current Chief Joseph McHugh said Warzoha "was a great man who dedicated most of his life to serving the people of the town of Greenwich."

"Danny will be missed by everyone in the Greenwich Fire Department. Our thoughts are with his family at this time," McHugh said.

The Glenville Volunteer Fire Company posted a statement on its Facebook page Sunday afternoon. Warzoha was a life member and past district chief in Glenville.

"Our Memorial Plaque has been placed on the front outside wall of the firehouse, and the American Flag has been placed at half-staff, in Dan's memory. Dan's selfless contributions and services to our Town will be graciously remembered for many years to come. His loss to our community, and all that he provided, is significant," the post read.

The Greenwich Police Department posted a photo on Facebook of the American flag at half-staff outside the Public Safety Complex on Sunday night.

"Thank you for your tireless service to the Town of Greenwich as Fire Chief and as Director of Emergency Management," the Department said. "You will be missed."