VIDEO: When Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department Chief Theresa Kinstle joined her first fire station at 27 years old, she was the only woman on the fire truck; she never thought she would end up as a chief down the road.
"I didn't originally think that I wanted to be a firefighter until I started EMT school," Kinstle told First Coast News. "And I had another instructor that said, 'Hey, what about fire school?' Once you came in, it was a big family. And the guys treated me just like anybody else."
Kinstle's 20-plus year career in firefighting has led her to now become the division chief of training, thus making her the highest ranked woman with JFRD.
"With fire rescue, everything's different," Kinstle mentioned. "Every call you go on is different. You have to use your mind, you have to figure out what's going on with the patient and how you can help them, and that sparked an interest for me. And I've loved it ever since."