In a profession where women were once a rarity, six Black women now wear the bars of captain inside the St. Louis Fire Department.
Licole McKinney, Jessica Jackson, Pamela Saunders-Isaac, Elizabeth McCormick and Cicely Tucker were promoted this month to fire captain — the first time five Black women have risen to the rank simultaneously. Alongside veteran Capt. Carolyn Moore, they bring the total number of Black female captains in the department to six.
The milestone comes nearly four decades after the department hired its first woman firefighter in 1987. Since then, 33 women have joined the ranks. Ten have been promoted to captain, and two have advanced to battalion chief. This year alone, 53 fire officers were promoted: 42 captains — 12 of them Black — and 11 battalion chiefs, none of whom were Black.
For the women who earned the promotion, the moment is both historic and personal. The St. Louis American spoke to three of them.
For Capt. Licole McKinney, the title carries weight.
She describes the promotion not as recognition, but responsibility — the culmination of years spent preparing, training and mastering the craft. It represents trust: the trust to make decisions under pressure, lead firefighters through danger and serve the community with integrity.
McKinney’s path to leadership was far from linear. Years ago, she experienced homelessness while raising a toddler — an instability that reshaped her perspective. She later entered the fire service through EMS, where critical thinking and emotional control became daily requirements.
Those hardships grounded her leadership philosophy. “I’m firm but fair, disciplined but human. Circumstances do not define capability,” McKinney said.
For Capt. Jessica Jackson, the promotion represents validation.
She ranked in the top tier among roughly 2,000 applicants on the firefighter entrance exam. That result built a confidence she didn’t realize she had. But the academy — and the job — transformed her perspective.
Firefighters, she says, are invited into people’s worst days. Bringing calm and skill to those scenes convinced her the work was more than employment — it was responsibility.
Jackson admits she once considered stepping away after the promotional process stalled.
“I had to separate politics from purpose. The citizens still needed service. The calling hadn’t changed,” Jackson said.
Instead, she leaned in, taking additional classes and completing her bachelor’s degree in 2024.
Now, she says, the respect she’s received from fellow firefighters means more than the title itself. Respect, she notes, is earned.
Capt. Cicely Tucker’s journey reflects persistence.
She left college during a high-risk pregnancy but later balanced paramedic school with studying for a 2013 promotional exam. She passed in the top 15%, but it wasn’t enough to advance.
Retesting in 2024, she placed in the top 20 with support from family and a mentor. Today, her two children are in college — and Tucker sees her promotion as proof that preparation and faith eventually align.
Her earlier service in the U.S. Navy shaped her leadership style.
“The Navy sharpened my focus, discipline and attention to detail,” Tucker said.
Since joining the department in 2007, Tucker says progress for women has been uneven. The number of active women firefighters has declined, accommodations in engine houses remain limited, and the perception that firefighting is “a man’s job” persists.
Even so, she believes these promotions highlight the value women bring.
“There’s no other job like it,” Tucker said. “I wouldn’t change my contribution or my role within the community.”
Across their stories runs a common thread: mentorship.
McKinney credits seasoned firefighters and organizations like the Firefighters Institute for Racial Equality. Jackson points to mentors and national networks where representation reinforced possibility. Tucker describes the fire service as a second family — bonds that endure through challenge and change.
This year’s promotions underscore both progress and unfinished work. While 12 Black captains advanced, no Black firefighters were promoted to battalion chief.The women say advancement at all levels remains imperative.
Their paths could not be more different — from homelessness to command, from academic detours to paramedic school, from Navy service to city leadership, from legal challenges to earned respect. Different routes. Same rank.
And for young girls watching — especially Black girls — the message is clear: You belong here.