Becoming a voice and a leader for other female firefighters wasn’t what St. Louis-based firefighter Elizabeth McCormick planned when she started connecting with other women on social media

Growing up with an appreciation for helping others and being a natural problem-solver led Elizabeth McCormick into healthcare, balancing her time between nursing homes, Shalom House – a homeless women’s shelter – private care, and work as a PSW. McCormick knew without a doubt how much value she gained from helping others in need; however, along with so many facets of care came varying degrees of compassion fatigue as she was constantly serving the needs of others.

“You cannot pour from an empty cup. If you are a giver with no boundaries, you’re setting yourself up for compassion fatigue,” she says. “It’s important to do an honest self-assessment every so often to ensure you are creating and upholding the boundaries and commitments that protect your physical and mental health.”

She knew that a career in helping people was something that she wanted to continue, but it wasn’t until a close friend needed the help of a team of local firefighters that McCormick got a taste of what emergency care is truly about: empathy, compassion, high quality care and professionalism.

She started her training in 2015, with the invaluable help and guidance of F.I.R.E (Firefighter’s Institute for Racial Equality). That backing, combined with her intense dedication and drive to complete her training, helped her secure a job with the St. Louis Fire Department, a role she’s still loving, four years later.

As McCormick’s career advanced, she continued to run her Instagram account, @gritandgrace__ , a platform she started to enable her audience to take part in her day-to-day life. Gritandgrace__morphed as McCormick realized the opportunity she had to make an impact on her local community. She began to use Instagram to talk about mental health and share authentic experiences so her community of followers could relate and come together as one.

“My page is now focused on positive and impactful content. I started talking about anxiety and different experiences that we don’t talk about enough, not just as first responders. We’re supposed to have this hard shell, but we’re not talking about the things that are keeping us up at night and making it difficult to do our jobs.”

After a year in the fire service, McCormick found that she was struggling to feel a part of the fire family. Because she had no close relationships with or access to many of the women on the job, she was doubting her decision to join the fire service. She feared being isolated for the next 20 to 30 years. That fear inspired her to start searching for female mentors who could share her perspective on being a female in the fire service.

“I looked at lots of pages supporting firefighters, but didn’t find anyone that looked like me. That search came from a place of loneliness and a need for representation as well. I found a similar group, and reached out to the woman running it who encouraged me to start my own account. I wanted other women of color to feel seen and appreciated – to have the opportunity to connect with other women. I wanted everyone to feel covered by each other.”

With encouragement from others and a deep understanding of the presence she was creating online for those around her, McCormick launched @blackgirlsfightfire. There, she was able to assist women of color who wanted to become firefighters to connect with mentors and support networks, in an effort to create inclusion and foster success. 

McCormick started using the hashtag – #mysisterskeeper – and has had many Instagram users tag her in their posts and photos, helping to create a deeper sense of community and belonging.

While the original aim of the group was to reach black women fighting fire, the meaning soon morphed into something greater. “In the fire service, we get caught up in the brotherhood. But what about the in-between, talking about the cultural differences we seem to be so afraid to speak about? If those things didn’t matter, we wouldn’t be seeing some of the stuff that we see.”

McCormick is creating an online presence that shows other women how goals and aspirations play an important role in personal success. She emphasizes the importance of understanding and accepting that firefighting is a part of who you are, but it’s not all that you are. “The training I’ve received and continue to receive has and will always be the most vital part of my career,” says McCormick. “What you do in training will show on the fire ground, and in many cases, you are the difference between life and death.”

McCormick wants others to value themselves and be proud of the hard work it takes to become a firefighter. ”If you choose a career that relies on quick thinking and fast action, you have to learn to trust yourself.”

As McCormick’s online presence continues to grow, she is focused on balancing her love of firefighting with her love of helping others. 

“It’s not the fire station itself, nor the calls we have that determine the kind of experience we get,” explained McCormick. “It’s the relationship dynamic with the people inside it that makes or breaks the shift. Having a hard day with people you’d give your life for, that you have a genuine camaraderie with, can make it a little easier. As for me, I’m open to whatever my career may bring and I always have been.”

When asked about local foundations and groups that McCormick supports and is passionate about, she highlighted a few for CRACKYL Magazine, but emphasized the importance of finding community-based groups, foundations, and organizations in your local area.

• Geared Up For Fire –  An online community that connects firefighters across the world via Facebook and Instagram.
• Melanin & Mental Health – An organization connecting black/latinx people and local therapists.
• Firefighter Functional Fitness – @firefighterffit on Instagram – A foundation supporting fitness and nutrition for firefighters.

The shift worker’s guide – A great online resource for anyone and everyone who does shift work and doesn’t work nine to five.

This article originally appeared within the Spring 2021 issue. View the full issue here, or browse all back issues in the CRACKYL Library.