Career
In 1967 he retired with the rank of commander and then joined the Washington engineering firm of Howard Needles Tammen & Bergendoff, first working as an aviation facilities engineer and then as director of environmental quality. He retired from the firm in 1983 and started his consulting business, which he continued until his death. Zirzow, who lived in Fairfax, Virginia, worked with the Naval Civil Engineering Corps from 1950 to 1967.
During his years there, he served as a public works officer and then as director of the natural resources management staff
He was named assistant chief of staff for civil engineering and spent his final years with naval forces in Antarctica. Mount Zirzow of the Forrestal Range in Antarctica is named in his honor.
He was a founding director of the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) and was a past secretary, treasurer and president
