JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The woman credited with saving the life of a Jacksonville fire captain is now on the road to becoming a firefighter.
Video shows the moment JFRD Chief Keith Powers offered Davay Kinsey a spot in the fire academy.
“He was thanking me for my courage and strength to do what I did that night for Capt. Norris, and out of nowhere he was like, ‘Hey, I got an offer for you. Have you ever thought of being a JFRD member?’”
Kinsey, an Air Force veteran, was working security at UF Health Jacksonville in October when two firefighters pulled up, one of them badly hurt.
We are at the Fire Academy of the South at @FSCJ_Official this morning for a special announcement. Recognize that woman on the far right? She helped 2 firefighters who were assaulted here in Jacksonville @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/nah5wOjJOb
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) December 23, 2019
A patient attacked JFRD Capt. Latorrence Norris inside an ambulance, stabbing him repeatedly with a box cutter. A second firefighter was hurt trying to help.
Seeing how bad his injuries were, Kinsey loaded Capt. Norris onto a golf cart and took him straight to the trauma unit.
“These guys, they place their life on the line every day. I was just a little small piece of the puzzle that night,” Kinsey said.
TRENDING STORIES:
Amber Alert: 2 missing Jacksonville siblings found safe
Woman dies after being mauled by family pit bull while having seizure
Map: Best places to see Christmas lights in the Jacksonville area
Jacksonville father catches Amazon delivery van speeding through neighborhood
On Monday, Kinsey stood next to city leaders in tears. To celebrate her heroism, she was gifted a scholarship to FSCJ’s fire academy.
Her tuition, books and fees are covered thanks to JFRD, FSCJ and UF Health Jacksonville.
Chief Powers said the courage she showed back in October is just one reason she’ll make a great firefighter.
“I saw some things in her that really reached out and grabbed me.”
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) December 23, 2019
Chief Powers talking about her desire to help others. He says he got up the morning after she talked to us about the rescue and asked for permission to try and recruit her for the fire academy @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/Sdo6f8d4E1
“When this is all said and done, and I’m wearing one of those uniforms, it’s going to be something… I’ll be able to pay it forward,” Kinsey said.
She told Action News Jax she always wanted to be a firefighter but she put her family first after 12 years in the military. Now that her son is an adult, she says she's ready for this new journey.
She’s expected to start school in January.
© 2019 Cox Media Group
