Before Pearland Fire Chief Jack "J." Taylor steps down from his role to retire Feb. 2, he said he was confident he was leaving the department better than he found it.
Marking a milestone
Taylor became Pearland’s fire chief in May 2022 and led the Pearland Fire Department with over 30 years of experience in the fire service.
His leadership helped the PFD earn an ISO Class 1 rating and multiple awards from the American Heart Association and the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Association for excellence in EMS prehospital cardiac care and fire prevention.
In December 2024, the department was recognized as a Best Practices organization by the Texas Association of Fire Chiefs, becoming only the 34th fire department in Texas to receive the designation.
“We've now become not only recognized in this area and emulated by other agencies in this area, but we're nationwide,” Taylor said. “People know who [the] Pearland Fire Department [is], and that's because of so many different programs and things that we've put in place over the last few years that everybody had hands in.”
Diving in deeper
Despite a number of accomplishments Taylor achieved during his tenure with the PFD, he said his most notable moment was during a mayday fire in October 2023 on Frazier Road in Pearland.
The incident caused firefighter Eddie Liceaga to be trapped in the fire. However, PFD rescued him in 42 seconds.
“They got him out in 42 seconds, and now that ‘42 seconds can change the world’ is what we have out there on our training ground,” Taylor said.
What’s next
After retiring, Taylor said he’s looking forward to traveling with his wife, Staci, and continuing to be a part of the Pearland community.
The job posting for the new fire chief will be posted in January, and the city expects onboarding for the new fire chief to begin in March or April, Communications Director Josh Lee said.
Taylor advises the next fire chief to "appreciate the talent” at the PFD.
“There are so many great men and women in this organization that care so much about being excellent at the job they do,” Taylor said. “They don't need to be ignored. They need to be given the autonomy to continue to bring up those great ideas and be part of the process as we move forward.”
