HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – 18 years ago, Jessica Burnett decided to join the Hopkinsville Fire Department to help fuel her action-packed lifestyle. After rising through the ranks and breaking down barriers, she was honored by the city to commemorate her retirement.
“Initially when I joined, I had my doubts on whether I would be good at this,” Burnett told Christian County Now. Her journey with HFD began after she dabbled at a volunteer fire department. She knew that her future career would have to reflect her thrill-seeking life, which included being a semi-professional snow boarder, frequent skydiver, and mountain biker. A path of law enforcement was first considered due to her experience training police K9’s, but once she tried out life as a firefighter, she fell in love with it.
After joining, she wasted no time moving up in the ranks. She was trained as an Emergency Medical Technician, eventually being promoted to Lieutenant in 2017. As one of the first Advanced EMTs in the department’s history, she eventually earned the title of Captain in 2021.
“I decided to go out for promotions because I feel that in anything you do, you try and become better,” said Burnett. “With hard work and dedication, it paid off, and I excelled at my job.” Throughout her nearly two decades of service, she overcame professional and occupational hurdles by tackling the challenges of entering a male dominated field. Over time, she has learned to embrace the role of a trailblazer.
During the Feb.4 Hopkinsville City Council meeting, she was publicly recognized for her service by Fire Chief Steve Futrell and was awarded a plaque in recognition of her retirement. “She is known for her drive and her no quit attitude, and I was honored to have the pleasure to fight with her,” said Futrell. “She was one of the strongest firefighters that we had.”
Burnett is proud to have worked with a new generation of firefighters, and hopes she helped empower them to progress as leaders. As for the future, she is looking forward to further exploring her hobbies as she continues training dogs and working with new skydivers.
“I’m just going to do things that are fun and less stressful, and just kind of enjoy life,” she said. “I’ve been honored to serve the community of Christian County, and I hope I made some people’s lives and days better in their unfortunate situations.”
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