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http://tribune.com.pk/story/917845/pakistans-first-female-firefighter-inspires-legions/
Pakistan's First Female Firefighter
“I was
told during the training that I would become the first lady firefighter of
Asia, which made me extremely jubilant and it was like my dream had come true,”
narrates Perveen. PHOTO: VEHARI SUJAG
By Web Desk –
July 9, 2015
Jumping off a red truck and darting into a
blazing building while wielding only a water hose and some fire-retardant
clothing as cover, is an image that is traditionally associated with men in the
Subcontinent. But Shazia Perveen is about to change all that as Pakistan’s
first female firefighter.
Shazia, 25, who hails from Vehari District
in Punjab, joined the Rescue 1122 emergency services as a firefighter in 2010.
Fighting fire with frightening conflagrations in a field feared even by most
men, her co-workers acknowledge her determination.
Rescue 1122 claims that Perveen is the first
female firefighter in Pakistan, and perhaps in all of Asia.
For Perveen, however, the job has always
been a dream despite its inherent dangers. So when the Rescue 1122 Women’s
Department opened up, she jumped at the chance. The prospect of working along
with men too did not phase her enthusiasm
“Some women avoid and hesitate to work with
men. That is where I differ with them and think that we, women, can work
shoulder-to-shoulder with men,” says Perveen.
But it has not been an easy road to her
dream. After recruitment, she had to undergo extensive training at the Punjab
Emergency Service in Lahore. “Amongst the 600 people there, I was the only
woman who completed the training.”
Her training included learning to swim,
jump, fight fire, and climbing up roofs with the help of ropes.
She recounts how a large number of people
left their training in middle because they couldn’t take it anymore. But she
persevered, and even ended up inspiring some of her fellow male trainees to
keep on going. But what kept her going?
“I was told during the training that I would
become the first lady firefighter of Asia, which made me extremely jubilant and
it was like my dream had come true,” narrates Perveen.
A full-fledged firefighter, Perveen helps
out firefighters where women are trapped.
“At the outset, people would laugh at me
when they saw me working with male workers. But afterwards, when I saved their
precious properties during fires, they started admiring me,” she recounts.
Having managed to wriggle into a world of
men, Perveen thinks that that women can tackle any job and take up any
profession of their choice.
Lauding Shazia’s passion, District Emergency
Officer Doctor Farzand says Perveen is a trustworthy worker and we get to
receive good feedback for her, which is because she never compromises on her
work.
“Ours is a men’s society. But Perveen works
adamantly against such matriarchal thinking,” he says.
“It is believed that women are only able to
start fires, whereas I have disproved this old adage and now I extinguish
fires,” says Perveen
The article originally appeared on Vehari Sujag