A large crowd of family, friends and fire service personnel from throughout Louisiana attended the funeral of beloved Olla Fire Chief Kim Taylor last Friday afternoon at Olla First Baptist Church.
John Kimberly “Kim” Taylor passed away Monday, July 27, 2026.
He lived in Olla for over 60 years and had served in many public service arenas, including as a volunteer firefighter with a Certified One Firefighter rating, a certified firefighter instructor through LSU, emergency medical technician (EMT) with the ambulance service at Hardtner Medical Center, and operated businesses, including his specialty shop in Olla featuring air brushing.
After the passing of longtime Olla Fire Chief Joe Thompson in 2023, Taylor was elected by the Olla Town Council as the new Olla Fire Chief in January 2024. It was a position he held until his death last week.
At the funeral service, several moving tributes were held, including the placement of his turnout gear, helmet, etc. at the altar, the ringing of the firemen’s bell, the reading of the “Firemen’s Prayer” and the “Last Call” ritual on the emergency radio system, where a powerful response was provided by the dispatcher signifying his end of service.
Several spoke at the funeral of Taylor’s unwavering devotion to the fire service and his love for the fire service family.
Bro. Lee Piercy shared heroic actions by Taylor and many instances where he performed extraordinary acts in his role as a firefighter and EMT.
Members of the Olla Volunteer Fire Department served as pallbearers and were seated in the choir loft of the church. Turning to the men and women, Piercy said, “He loved all of you.”
Following the service, a large funeral procession was held that included police and many fire service vehicles as the procession headed north of US 165 to the burial site in Caldwell Parish.
The Jena Fire Department brought their ladder truck and placed it at the Olla Volunteer Fire Department’s main station on US 165 where the procession traveled underneath the ladder extended with a large American Flag flying atop.
(See Kim Taylor’s official obituary in our Obituaries section)
