04-10-2007 Mayor Luecke, Firefighters Salute Chief Luther Taylor

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Page 2. "You represented the city well and helped make the state a better place," Luecke told Taylor. In an era when the work of firefighters changed dramatically, Taylor led the department by: • Creating a state-certified hazardous materials response team, which he served as its first coordinator. • Establishing special-operations units, including for river rescue, tactical rescue, confined spaces rescue and trench/structural collapse rescue. • Expanding Emergency Medical Service operations countywide in 1997, increasing South Bend's ambulances from two to seven and ensuring that all South Bend personnel were certified at least as EMTs. • Instituting a mandatory annual physical for all firefighters. • Implementing a five-year vehicle-replacement program. • Installing automated external defibrillators on all first-response vehicles as well as in other key locations citywide. • Seeing the department's overall equipment rating rise from poor to excellent. • Negotiating an agreement in 1999 for South Bend firefighters to staff the neonatal ambulance based at Memorial Hospital. "I'm most proud of the safety we have been able to accomplish for firefighters doing their job," said Taylor, whose department is outfitted in state-of-the-art gear. He also moved to computerize the 11 fire stations, expanded the arson investigation bureau to include a police officer, changed dress uniforms to white shirts, negotiated EMS agreements with the University of Notre Dame and created new battalion chiefs for EMS and Special Operations. Taylor began as a firefighter Oct. 16, 1972, initially only thinking to serve a year or so before returning to work he enjoyed as a machinist. "It was never my intent to stay that long but I guess it was meant to be," Taylor said. "I admired how much the late Capt. Don Howell and Capt. Jack Reed (at that time) enjoyed being firefighters." In January 1976, Taylor was named captain on an engine company, a role in which he supervised personnel at fire scenes and was responsible for company training. Four years later, he was named battalion chief of fire suppression, supervising more than 30 firefighters and overseeing companies and daily shift activities. It was during this time, he implemented the haz-mat team, serving as its first coordinator until he was named fire chief in October 1985 by Mayor Roger Parent. Taylor's more than 20 awards include being named an Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash by Gov. Kernan, receiving a distinguished leadership award from the South Bend/Mishawaka Leadership Alumni Association, and getting outstanding citizen awards from the Solidarity Day Committee, the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry and the Amvets Post No. 66. At age 60, some 10 years away from mandatory retirement, the lean and soft-spoken, 6-foot-4 Taylor is in great health. -more-