Abington Firefighter Jennifer Kingsberry Wows Drew Barrymore

It’s hard not to be impressed by Abington volunteer firefighter Jennifer Kingsberry. Just ask actor and talk show host Drew Barrymore, who recently interviewed Kingsberry on The Drew Barrymore Show.

“I care so much about other people, but when I hear your story, you do make me feel like a slacker,” Barrymore said. “You’re such an inspiration.”

Kingsberry became an Abington Fire Company firefighter nearly five years ago. Her husband, Sean Blake, was already a member. “Our fire company is very family oriented, and I was invited to family gatherings and welcomed to spend time at the firehouse,” she remembers. The more time she spent there, the more she wanted to get in the action, too.

Kingsberry also serves the community through her career as a respiratory therapist at Penn Presbyterian Hospital, where she has been on the front lines of COVID-19. She and Blake have a young daughter, Keira, whom Kingsberry hopes to show through her actions that girls and
women can do anything.

Philadelphia’s CBS3 featured Kingsberry in a 2020 Mother’s Day story. After seeing the clip, The Drew Barrymore Show reached out to Abington Fire Company through Facebook.

Being interviewed on the Drew Barrymore Show “was a very nerve-wracking experience, since I get nervous with public speaking,” Kingsberry said. “But the staff on the show were very helpful and great at helping to calm my nerves.”

Barrymore asked, “After you give to your child, you give as a respiratory therapist, you give as a firefighter you give as a wife….what do you do for yourself, do you have something?”

Kingsberry said she gardens, reads, and enjoys a good cup of coffee. She and Blake last had a date – lunch during a shopping trip - in December 2020.

“You have been working overtime, showing us all what it is possible for one human being to do,” Barrymore told Kingsberry. “You are awe-inspiring.”

And with that, she gave her and Blake a week-long trip to Fiji.

“I was very pleasantly surprised to hear that we were receiving a trip to Fiji,” Kingsberry said. “We aren’t sure when we will be able to go, with COVID-19 and travel restrictions,” she said, but
everyone involved understands the circumstances. “We have some time to plan.”

The interview can be seen on the Abington Township Fire Department’s new website, at abingtonfd.org/news.

Inspired to Gear Up and Get in the Action?

Anyone inspired by Kingsberry to volunteer with Abington or the Township’s other 100% volunteer fire companies - McKinley, Weldon, Edge Hill, or Roslyn – should also visit abingtonfd.org, to inquire about volunteering or learn more.

Firefighter duties include search and rescue, ladder placement, forcible entry, and fire suppression. The rescue truck responds to specialized calls, including auto accidents, carbon monoxide alarms, and rescue calls.

Teens who are 16 or 17 can become junior firefighters who train alongside and assist firefighters, preparing them to become full firefighters at age 18.

Non-emergency volunteers help with administrative duties, operations support,
community outreach, and more.

Training and gear are provided and no experience is necessary.