Longtime Fire Captain In Evanston Retires

EVANSTON, IL — After more than 32 years of dedicated service, Fire Captain Tim Taylor retired from the Evanston Fire Department on Tuesday. Taylor started his career in March of 1988 as a firefighter/paramedic and was promoted to fire captain in 2011. He spent the last two years as part of the department’s Fire Prevention Bureau.

In addition to being a long-standing member of the department’s specialized technical and underwater rescue teams, he was also an integral leader and contributor to the success of several important community outreach programs including the Citizen Fire Academy, the Evanston Fire Explorers and Evanston’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). He also served as a proud member and leader of the EFD Honor Guard.

As a member of the Fire Prevention Bureau, he led two important community risk reduction initiatives. First, he dramatically improved the fire and life safety inspection program for all of Evanston’s primary schools, enhancing the safety of over 7,000 students and staff. Later, he implemented vital software enhancements to allow firefighters to more efficiently conduct commercial building safety inspections and pre-incident surveys.

“Captain Taylor has always been the type of individual who was willing to do whatever it takes to make a real difference for his co-workers and the Evanston community at large,” said Fire Chief Brian Scott. “He loved working with people of all ages to educate, to protect and to inspire. We will miss his dedication, work ethic and servant’s heart.”