Throughout March, the Salisbury Post will be taking a look at women who have made some groundbreaking achievements during their lifetime in recognition of Women’s History Month.

Crystal Pierce has been recognized for her service to the community during her firefighting career. She has multiple firsts in her resumé as was noted in a September 2018 Salisbury Post article announcing her retirement as the first female fire chief in Rowan County.

Pierce served in both the Air Force and North Carolina Air National Guard and as a firefighter in Rowan County for nearly 31 years before her retirement, the article noted.

She joined the Salisbury Fire Department in 1987 becoming the city’s second woman firefighter, later being promoted to the rank of fire control specialist and in 1993 Pierce became the first woman engineer followed by another first a few years later, as she became the department’s first female captain in 1995.

In 2000, Pierce made a move from the Salisbury Fire Department to the Army National Guard Fire Department, where she became the first female fire chief in Rowan County, a position she held until she retired.

If you have a photo to share or a story to tell illustrating Women’s History Month, please email editor Chandler Inions at chandler.inions@salisburypost.com.