Samara Hussain suits up in her fire-resistant gear—helmet, gloves, and boots—before sprinting toward a fire truck in Karachi, a bustling city in southern Pakistan.
With the siren blaring, the 26-year-old and her team race to the scene of a fire in the Saddar business district, breaking new ground for women in a traditionally male-dominated field.
Hussain is among roughly 20 women who have joined Sindh Rescue 1122, an emergency response service established in the southern Pakistani province in December 2020. Before starting her role on July 1, she completed six months of intensive technical and professional training in Punjab, where the service was first introduced 18 years ago.
Many of her relatives doubted her ability to manage fires, scale heights, or rescue people from wells, but her immediate family stood by her decision.
“My family encouraged me to go for it,” she told Arab News after responding to a fire. “They believed I could do it, even though some relatives were skeptical. But once I entered this field, I proved them wrong.”
Since joining the service, Hussain has been involved in numerous firefighting operations, including a major blaze at Kashif Center in the city.
“I was part of the firefighting team there, and I proved I could handle it,” she said, her face glowing with pride.
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In 2010, Shazia Parveen became Pakistan’s first female firefighter in Punjab. However, until recently, Karachi’s fire department, the largest in Sindh province, only recruited men. The induction of Hussain and her colleagues into Rescue 1122, which operates its fire department separately from the city’s metropolitan corporation, marked a historic achievement for the region.
“Currently, 72 women are working as part of the Rescue 1122 service throughout Karachi,” said Ayesha Farooq, the officer in charge of the Rescue 1122 station in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. “Additionally, a group of 180 women is prepared to join the Punjab Services Academy for training.”
In a photo taken on August 12, 2024, Ayesha Farooq briefs Pakistani female firefighters during a drill in Karachi, as part of Arab News’ special coverage of the 20 women who have joined Rescue 1122 in Sindh province.
The rescue service handles a wide range of emergencies, including high-rise rescues, urban search and rescue, firefighting, and water rescues—now with women represented in all these areas.
“This job is very challenging because going into a fire to save lives is no easy task,” Farooq explained, adding that although it was particularly tough for women, they had demonstrated their capabilities.
“In recent fire incidents, our female rescuers have been at the forefront, working alongside their male counterparts.”
Farooq noted that while all the female members of Rescue 1122 are currently stationed in Karachi, they would soon be deployed to other districts in the province.
For Hussain, the first firefighter from her remote Sanghar district, fear disappears whenever she is on a mission to save lives.
“When there’s a fire and people are in danger, our determination to save lives outweighs any fear we might have about entering the flames,” she told Arab News.
Inspired by her courage, many of her friends and relatives are now considering similar career paths.
Hussain admits that being a firefighter or rescuer is a demanding job, but she encourages more women to take on the challenge and prove they are capable.
“Women should step forward,” she said. “Whatever men can do, women can do as well.”