A heroic police officer is being recognized for much more than his life-saving response to the call of duty. Sergeant Billy Irvin is being commended by the entire community of Jacksonville, Florida for his quick save of a drowning woman, but also for the soaking wet picture of him posted by the Jackson Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
On Tuesday, June 6 a citizen called the JSO to inform them of a body floating in the St. John’s River. The body was floating toward Main Street with the current, which was steadily picking up.
JSO responded to the call and were able to confirm the woman in the river was still alive. Irvin did not hesitate to jump into the rushing river to swim the woman to safety.
A group of three construction workers used their boat to pull Irvin and the woman out of the water. It is unclear how the woman got into the river in the first place, and her current condition is unknown.
The JSO posted a picture of a dripping Irvin, boots in hand, after making the heroic save. They applauded him for going above and beyond and risking his own life to save another.
The story of Irvin’s praise does not stop there, though. The women of Jacksonville have gone bananas over Irvin’s photo.
Tall, scruffy, and well-built, Irvin’s physique, see-through, white t-shirt, and rugged beard are turning heads. Women can’t help but mention his stunning, good looks.
“Is it just me or does JSO really need to make a calendar?” asked Holly Houser Lile in the comments of the post, “I’d buy it!” Others agreed with her statement.
Another woman, Marie Williams Whitney, said, ” OK, I know I should be thanking Sgt. Irvin for saving her life, but right now all I can do is thank JSO for posting this picture.” One woman even claimed she was drowning in her bathtub and needed Irvin to come save her.
All the excitement over Irvin’s looks have Jacksonville residents joking about women jumping into the river on purpose, in hopes that Irvin will be there to save them. A schedule was even proposed to make sure Irvin had time to save each woman who took the plunge.
Though the jokes were all made in good fun, JSO issued a warning to Jacksonville residents. It included some key information about the holes in their plan.
The JSO addressed that Irvin works shift work and may not be the officer to come save someone at a given time. Also, residents do not get to pick which hero comes to their rescue, but the JSO can guarantee an officer to come to their aid, should they require it.
Finally, jumping into the St. John’s River is extremely dangerous and there are other ways to meet a hunky officer. Officers will do anything to keep citizens safe, though JSO warns it must be within policy.
As of now, there has not been a spike of women in the St. John’s River, but I’m sure there’s been an increase in Irvin’s friend requests on Facebook! Jacksonville is certainly blessed to have such heroic and handsome men in uniform.
