Kyle and Lieutenant Jennifer Kerlin sit down together to discuss the unique, complex and vital jobs of first responders and the mental hardships they endure, from these jobs.
Lt. Kerlin has served 22 years in Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, 16 of those as an officer. Her passion, throughout her career, has been technical rescue and her colleagues describe her as “one of the best there is.” The TRT (Technical Rescue Team) are certified emergency medical response firefighters specially trained in the treatment and removal of victims trapped in complex or confined spaces.
Her training, experience and leadership culminated when her station was one of the first to arrive on the scene of the Surfside condominium collapse that occurred, at 1:22 a.m. EDT, on June 24th, 2021, in Surfside, FL. This was the biggest call her department has ever seen. After arriving on scene, she immediately took her 100 foot ladder and began rescuing people from the collapse zone and the swaying balconies that remained. Ultimately, she helped rescue all eleven people and two dogs.
Today, while continuing to serve, she reminds her fellow first responders that it’s ok to struggle and, most importantly, that it’s ok to get help.