Over 20 years after joining Emporia Fire on a voluntary basis, Jesse Taylor is settling into his new role as deputy fire chief.
In a special two-on-one interview involving Taylor, Chief Brandon Beck and KVOE News this week, Taylor said family ties drew him to firefighting.
Taylor joined the department in 2001, moving into a full-time role in 2004 and serving as firefighter, fire investigator, fire instructor, hazardous materials technician and captain — a rank he had held the past seven years. Taylor is also an Emporia State University graduate.
In several ways, Taylor’s story echoes that of Beck. Both started as volunteer firefighters before working their way up the ranks — although Beck’s start came in 1993 — and both graduated from Emporia State.
Earlier this year, Beck replaced longtime chief Jack Taylor, who retired after serving as department head for over 20 years.
Beck and Taylor say they have several goals and objectives as they lead Emporia Fire, starting with fostering or developing relationships with the department’s different partners, both in and out of city government. Both also plan to increase recruitment with the department not up to full employment, and they plan to continue conversations about the city’s outdated facilities, both at the Civic Auditiorium and Station 2 at 15th and Industrial.
