WHEN Joshua Ezekiel Davis joined the Jamaica Fire Brigade 19 years ago, he never imagined that the day would come when his country would honour him for doing the job he loves so much.

Davis, a native of St Thomas, was among more than 200 Jamaicans and one of 13 firefighters honoured at the national hounours and awards ceremony held at King’s House in St Andrew on October 17.

He received the Medal of Honour for Meritorious Service.

“Well trust me, it’s an honour to get this award. When I checked, there are a lot of people who have passed through and have gone many years before me and have not gotten this. So I believe it’s an honour, but then I always believe that what you do today will pay off tomorrow,” Davis, a deputy superintendent, told the Jamaica Observer North East after the ceremony.

“I always try my best to be an exemplary firefighter and not to get into any trouble, so when things add up, I believe I deserve to be getting this award today (Monday, October 17),” he added.

The man from Yallahs said he began serving in the brigade in St Thomas in 1997 and remained there until 2008. He was then assigned to Kingston but was shortly after promoted. This saw him heading back to St Thomas. Three years later, he was again reassigned to Kingston, where he now serves in a higher capacity.

“I got that position; I was grateful for it and I’m still here today,” he said.

The job, he told the Observer North East, is a fulfilling one.

“Being a fire-fighter is very rewarding. Sometimes the simple things that you can do for someone, even if it’s to give them some advice, is very good.

“There have been many times when we go to some fires and we’re like, wow. I remember the last real major fire I went to. when I saw the blaze I said to the corporal ‘no disrespect but can I please have the branch?’ Because I like fighting fire so when I saw that one I was sure I needed to handle it,” he said noting that the ‘branch man’ is the firefighter who leads heading into a fire.

He added: “I wanted to be the lead man that night. As the sergeant, I am supposed to be the one who finds the source for water to give them. The corporal is really the branch man, so I actually took over his duty that night and we put out the blaze. That fire was in Dumfries in Morant Bay and it was an act of arson.”

“The feeling you get after putting out a fire is a triumphant one. I always feel triumphant in the end. I love what I do,” Davis said.