Longtime firefighter taking chief’s job in Oklahoma

ALBANY, Ga. — A longtime Albany Fire Department official is headed out west to become chief of an Oklahoma fire department, officials say.

Robert Taylor started out as a blue-shirt firefighter more than 19 years ago, he says. Today, Capt. Robert Taylor wears the white shirt of an AFD officer, or at least he will for just under a month.

On March 1, Taylor is headed to Spencer, Okla., a suburban enclave of Oklahoma City.

“It was one of those situations where they made an offer that was just too good to pass up,” Taylor said. “So I’m excited to take this next step in my career.”

The Waycross native says that he’ll miss Albany, his firefighters and working at the department.

“I’ll miss the people and my crews,” Taylor said. “After 19 years, you’re going to get attached to a place. Albany has some good things working for it, especially when it comes to the fire department.”

Taylor says that firefighters in Albany should take advantage of all of the educational and training opportunities that exist, which he says will give them a leg up when they look at advancing through the AFD’s ranks or jumping to a leadership role in another department.

“People don’t realize it, but we have one of the best-trained fire departments in the state and even the country,” Taylor said. “I believe and I know that the training and education I got here were so far above the minimum qualifications for other positions that you know you’re prepared to tackle about anything.”

Taylor said that when he gets to Oklahoma he intends to review the policies and procedures of the department and take time to get to know its key players.

One philosophy he wants to bring with him, is the concept of self-ownership.

“You know people care for their own things usually better than when they deal with other people’s stuff,” Taylor said. “That’s why I’m a big believer in giving firefighters ownership of their crews and ownership of their department. Because once they own it, they’ll take pride in it; they’ll care for it.”

Taylor thanked Chief James Carswell — who hired him 19 years ago — for giving him a chance and also praised the leadership team and officers within the department.

“It’s not easy working in an environment where every decision you make could cost someone their life,” Taylor said. “It takes a special kind of person to do that.”