Autumn Ballard
Autumn Ballard is a firefighter, EMT, health and wellness coach, and former graphic designer based in the Greater Boston area. She currently serves with the Auburn Fire Department, where she has worked for more than three years, building on a total of seven years of firefighting and emergency medical services experience across both volunteer and career roles. Her path into the fire service was nontraditional, beginning with a background in graphic design after earning her degree from The College of Saint Rose.
Before becoming a firefighter, Autumn built a career in graphic design, freelancing and serving as a senior designer while also developing a passion for fitness and coaching. After moving to Colorado in 2018, she worked as an independent contractor and CrossFit coach before returning to Massachusetts during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was there that a family friend introduced her to volunteering at a local fire department, which led to academy training and ultimately a full-time firefighting career. Today, she continues to coach at CrossFit 1977 while maintaining freelance design work.
Autumn is also the founder of ENRT Health & Wellness, where she specializes in supporting firefighters, particularly women in the fire service, with fitness, nutrition, recovery, and resilience. Her work focuses on improving health, longevity, and work-life balance for first responders. Known for her kindness, creativity, and commitment to wellness, Autumn has helped implement stronger health initiatives within her department, including annual fitness testing, wellness challenges, running clubs, book clubs, and awareness campaigns around mental health and cancer prevention.
• NASM Strength & Conditioning
• Active Life Professional Certification
• CPT
• CrossFit Certification
• Nutrition Certification
• Fire Instructor Courses
• Fire Officer Level Courses
• Class Spokesperson
• Women in Fire
• Signs to the Station
• International Fallen Firefighters Foundation
• IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters)
• National Association of Professional Women
• AIGA
• Women in Fire Reproductive Health Research
• Maternity Leave & Workplace Support Advocacy for Female Firefighters
What do you attribute your success to?
I think my most notable professional achievement is establishing a health and wellness program at Auburn Fire. It was quite the battle, but it was necessary. I noticed very early on, right around the time I got hired, that the department had a member pass from cardiac failure. There was a lot of nervousness around health and wellness and the longevity of being a firefighter in that career. Seeing that, and noticing that as a female in the industry with slightly different standards, I had to work harder to meet the same standards, or outwork them in order to be perceived as capable. I noticed the disparity between the awareness of all the things that can go wrong in this job and the preparedness for all the things that can go wrong. There's always the scare tactic of cancer or heart failure. We know our sleep gets disrupted, but there's not a lot of prep around it. Mental health has been a huge aspect. I've gone through some issues on my own in my career here. Being in it was very different than hearing about it from the outside. So getting folks to actively participate in making this a healthier career, essentially leading by example and taking care of myself and being able to take care of others. The biggest thing in this department is taking care of one another and the people we serve, so that has been the biggest reason why I've done what I've done. I love the people I work with.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve received came from mentors like Dina Ali and Kim O'Brien, who showed me that there is space for women to lead, grow, and succeed in the fire service. Their guidance taught me the importance of supporting others along the way, which is something I now carry forward when mentoring women who are interested in firefighting.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just get started. Just do it. Whether that's getting on a volunteer department or getting involved with a support team that supports your local career fire department, getting your EMT, find something that you can get your foot in the door with and keep working at it. It's an odd industry to get into, but it's a very passionate industry, and if it's something you want to go for, then you're probably gonna be the type of personality that'll go all the way. So it really is just follow that beat and keep pushing.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
As a female in the industry, there are slightly different standards, so you have to work harder to meet the same standards or outwork them in order to be perceived as capable. There's a disparity between the awareness of all the things that can go wrong in this job and the preparedness for all the things that can go wrong. There's always the scare tactic of cancer or heart failure. We know our sleep gets disrupted, but there's not a lot of prep around it. Mental health has been a huge aspect. I've gone through some issues on my own in my career here. Being in it was very different than hearing about it from the outside. I'm also working on reproductive health issues through Women in Fire. They've had a big reproductive research push, so I'm trying to contribute to that and make sure we have better resources for maternity leave and what maternity means on the line.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I have really strong ties with just doing the right thing. It is just basic kindness and human kindness and treating one another with respect. The biggest thing in this department is taking care of one another and the people we serve. I love the people I work with. I think a lot of my values come from my creative background, thinking creatively about new opportunities or how to approach health and wellness in the industry.