Heather Taylor, a Centerville resident, parent volunteer and former EMT, was recognized as a hero at a recent city council meeting. Taylor was honored by Centerville Community Services Manager Bryce King for the assistance she provided to two of the city’s ski school participants during a recent trip to Brighton Ski Resort.

“I wanted to highlight one [time]where we had an extra adventure and where a citizen in your community stepped up and was a hero for a day,” King told the city council on Feb. 21.

After a medical issue occurred with a participant on that outing Taylor provided assistant to the child, King said.

She “stepped up above and beyond the call of being a volunteer,” he said. “Heather could have just called me over and asked me to take care of the situation, but instead she used her previous training as a medical professional and resolved the issue in a calm and peaceful manner.”

King said because of logistical issues this occasion was the only time this season he had been able to take a parent volunteer with him on the bus to the ski resort. 

“For some reason this week it worked out,” he said. “Her presence was nothing short of a miracle. That miracle would continue (to provide reasoning) as the night would go on.” 

Then, just 15 minutes into the ski classes at the resort an accident occurred which involved another of the Centerville participants, King said. “Ski patrol informed me one of the participants was down at the ski lift after an accident. My heart sank, and I quickly called Heather and asked her to meet me at the ski lift to help assist, and without hesitation, she was there even before I got there.”

“As soon as she arrived on the scene, I knew the participant would be OK,” he said. “Heather has a way of connecting with people and calming down any situation, no matter the severity.”

Over the next three hours, Taylor helped other medical professionals provide care to the child who was able to be treated on the scene, King said. 

“I had numerous compliments from multiple different teams about her demeanor, professional and selfless personality,” he said. “If you didn’t know who she was, you would have thought she was one of the medical providers or nurses in the room. I’m truly grateful for her friendship and professionalism in this situation. In my book, Heather is a Centerville hero. We’re lucky to have her as one of our residents.”

King then presented Taylor with a small gift in appreciation of her efforts. After, Taylor spoke and praised King.

“If he’s giving me any recognition, this should tell you more about Bryce King than it tells you about Heather Taylor because he didn’t need my help, and I am just really impressed that Bryce would take the time for me to have a shining moment when he deserves more than he gets, I’m sure,” she said.

Councilmember Gina Hirst, who has known Taylor for several years, expressed appreciation for her efforts. 

“This isn’t just one day, this is Heather,” she said. “That’s her every single time. She’s always stepping in and helping and in wonderful ways.”

Mayor Clark Wilkinson also thanked Taylor for helping out.

“This is a neat night for us, Heather, because we love being able to honor our staff for things they do too, for all the times which blesses and helps all of our residents – It’s nice to honor one of our residents as well for something neat that they did,” he said. λ