Edwardsville Fire Department loses paramedic to COVID-19

Jason Taylor, a paramedic with the Edwardsville Fire Department, has died from complications due to COVID-19.

Taylor died on the morning of Jan. 1, according to a news release from the Edwardsville Fire Department.

“We are saddened by the loss of paramedic Taylor,” Fire Chief Tim Whitham said in a news release. “Jason served our city and our citizens with compassion and expertise; we will miss him dearly.”

Taylor served as a paramedic with the department for three years. He began his career in 1998 with Franklin County Emergency Medical Services, and served with the city of Bonner Springs for most of his career, before coming to Edwardsville.

Taylor graduated from Penn Valley Community College in 2008, and became a mobile intensive care technician. He also was an instructor-coordinator through the Kansas Board of Emergency Medical Services.

Donations to support Taylor’s family may be made at the Edwardsville Fire Department Headquarters, 698 S. 4th St., Edwardsville, Kansas.