you ’ re either in it or you ’ re not . I really do believe it ’ s something that ’ s bred in you . I ’ d watch my dad go out of the house at 1 or 2 in the morning , going to a call when he was a detective back in the day . It ’ s just a calling . It just becomes a part of who you are and your family .”
LES KAVANAUGH Kenny said his father , Les , always had a hand in public service . He was a Navy veteran , and involved in local Little League teams , but he also served three terms as a school board member . Kenny said he remembered one night when some of those duties ran into each other .
A dry cleaning and laundry business caught fire close to their home when Kenny was about 10 years old , sometimes in the 1980s . Les arrived home after a school board meeting to find the nearby business burning . “ I recall seeing him pull up and seeing the fire ,” “ He was in his suit and tie , then he popped the trunk of his car and put his gear on . I can recall seeing that working structure fire was full of black smoke .”
He also said that call hit something else close to home , and not just because it was down the street from them .
He said he witnessed his father ’ s bravery , but also experienced fear .
“ There was no hesitation that I can recall ,” Kenny said . “ Seeing him and others go into that , I was scared , nervous to see my dad doing that . “
But he said it ’ s amazing to him to see that building , located at the corner of Crestview Court and Eighth Street , is still there because of firefighters , including his father . “ As you see , the building is still standing ,” Kenny said . “ There was some damage , but it was not a total loss .”
He said his father ’ s dedication to the job was obvious .
“[ There ] was also the phone ringing in the middle of the night ,” Kenny said . “ It wasn ’ t uncommon for the phone to ring in the middle of the night , and he was out in three or four minutes . We ’ d hear the car start and he ’ d be out the door .”
Jeffersonville Fire Department / 150 years 29