n a bold step towards building a more resilient and diverse emergency response team, the Sindh Emergency and Rescue Service has hired a number of women to join its ranks, equipping them to handle complex rescue operations.

As they don their uniforms and gear up to face the toughest of emergencies, these trailblazing women are not only defying gender stereotypes but also redefining heroism in Pakistan.

In what is sometimes seen as a male-dominated career, the selection of a large number of women in emergency and rescue services is reflective of a societal transformation.

The Sindh Emergency and Rescue Service (SERS) has so far deployed 72 women. Another batch of 180 will soon join the service after completing their training.

“Since December 2022, Rescue 1122 has been responsible for firefighting, water rescue and urban search and rescue operations in Karachi, Larkana, Thatta, Sujawal, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Badin and Hyderabad districts,” says Hassan Khan, a spokesperson for the SERS.

The operational nerve centre is in Karachi, where the central command and control unit serves as the point of first contact. The centre, modelled after the one in the Punjab, receives emergency calls from all over the province.

Hassan says they have the latest gear and equipment for their tasks. “Besides providing adequate training, we have equipped our rescue officers with the protective gear to carry out the tasks professionally and safely,” says Hassan. “Soon the SERS will be deploying its ambulances and staff on major roads and highways of Sindh,” he says.

Rescue work is an extremely demanding profession. It requires immense physical and mental strength. The rescue officers frequently face life-threatening situations. The firefighters battle raging fires and toxic chemicals. Women firefighters also have to face and overcome the challenge of gender bias and stereotypes.

The women are breaking these barriers and have demonstrated exceptional courage, resilience and dedication, proving themselves as invaluable members of the rescue community. Some of the recent graduates from the Emergency Services Academy, Lahore, participated in the effort to extinguish a blaze in a 15-storey building in Karachi recently. It was a baptism of fire.

Recalling the rescue mission, Ayesha Khan, the station officer at the SERS Fire Fighting Department tells The News on Sunday, four women firefighters, including herself, were on duty when the fire was reported.

“Wearing heat-resistant coats and helmets, we were equipped with breathing devices and thermal image cameras. From ground zero to the top we thoroughly checked all the floors - their hallways and rooms - for the seat of fire and anybody in need of help,” she says.

“Some of the floors were filled with dense, thick smoke. The flames were leaping out. We moved cautiously, checking each room. As we went up, the heat intensified, some of the top felt hot like blazing ovens. We were drenched in perspiration under our heavy coats,” Ayesha remembers. “The smoke was so thick that without the self-contained breathing apparatus, it would have been impossible to breathe.”

Racing against time, the firefighters had to find the source of the fire. They were also on lookout for stranded people. They navigated through the smoke-filled corridors with their breathing devices and their thermal imaging cameras guiding them. “The most important aspect of firefighting is to determine the seat of the fire, to focus the extinguishing exercise. The thermal image cameras helped us locate it on the 7th floor.”

“Window panes had to be broken to let the smoke out,” says Ayesha. “Battling the blaze, with hoses spewing water, we created a path to the rooftop where the women had gone to save themselves,” says Ayesha.

“Window panes had to be broken to let the smoke out,” said Ayesha. “Battling the blaze, with hoses spewing water, we created a path to the rooftop where the women had gone to save themselves.” “Nothing could ever make me look back. I know that I’m truly making a difference.”

“…the women were huddled together on the roof, scared and exhausted. They had escaped the burning building but were now worried about how to get down safely. They relaxed on seeing us approach them,” says Engr Unaiza Abdul Hadi, the district emergency officer. “But by that time the raging fire had engulfed the door at the roof blocking their exit back to the ground,” she says.

“We decided that the only way out was through the fire ladder or the snorkel. It would be difficult for untrained women to use, but that was the only way out,” says Unaiza. “They were crying and looking at the ladder that went down but were paralysed with fear.”

“They were not trained like us to use the fire ladder. Since that was the only exit, we consoled and reassured them that we would help them and that with harnesses around them, they could safely use the fire ladder. However, some of them could not use the ladder due to their age and weight. We asked for the snorkel to be moved in closer. Finally, they relented and one after another, we they got down safely,” the firewoman recalls.

Having women in a rescue service means an opportunity for better community connections and outreach. Women rescue workers often provide emotional support and comfort to women and children, who may feel more at ease with a female presence. “The consolation and cajoling of the stranded people is a part of our training at the academy,” says Ayesha.

“We are trained to remain calm and composed in high-pressure situations, to focus on helping those in distress. The ability to keep our cool is critical to rescuers who need to assess potential challenges, prioritise tasks, assign resources and make informed decisions that save lives. This allow the rescuers to communicate clearly and effectively with team members. People in distress find it easier to confide in those who are calm, cordial and composed,” she explains.

Rescue officers require a specialised form of emergency response focused on locating, extricating and providing medical care to those injured or trapped under the debris. They can be located using sonars or live locators that detect heartbeat.

Discussing their training, both the officers described the six-month-long period away from home and family, as rigorous - both physically and mentally. The Emergency Services Academy, Thokar Niaz Baig, Lahore, they said, offered a Basic Rescue Course which included emergency medical, fire rescue, height and water rescue and urban search and rescue besides physical fitness training. The academy also offers specialised courses for medical first responders and collapsed structure search and rescue.

Witnessing traumatic events like accidents, fires, floods or other natural or manmade disasters can leaves behind physical, psychological and emotional stress. The rescuers are instructed in techniques to regulate their emotions while witnessing traumatised victims and remain composed to make timely decisions.

“We were also trained in rappelling so we can enter the buildings on fire to remove the victims from the harm’s way,” Ayesha says.

Gesturing towards Unaiza, Ayesha says that, for many girls, the training posed an additional challenge of leaving young children with grandparents for that period.

Unaiza Abdul Hadi, the district emergency officer, is a civil engineer by training. She graduated from the NED University of Engineering and Technology. She joined the rescue training two years into her marriage and had to leave an infant son with her mother. “It was hard to be away from one’s first child for so long.”

Asked if her office routine and late phone calls disrupted her domestic life, she says, “That was the least of my worries. My husband has been very supportive.”

She says being the district emergency officer, she is on call 24/7. “The phone rarely stops ringing. There are no fixed working hours. An assignment can stretch over several stressful hours. You cannot leave in the middle of one,” she says.

Despite the demanding work, Unaiza recently enrolled in a PhD programme. Both Ayesha and Unaiza encourage women to join the rescue service.

Unaiza says that she was attracted by the SERS advertisement. “The working conditions are tough but that is what we have been trained for,” she says. “The workplace environment is friendly. We’re a cohesive team. Male and female officers seamlessly carry out their tasks. Discipline is a tough requisite.”

“With my engineering qualification, I was selected for a BPS 17 job. The career ladder is high and rewarding,” says Unaiza.

Ayesha says that the ability to relieve pain and rescue those in distress is the most rewarding part of her job. “We have set an example. We are as competent as any other person. Nothing can make me look back. I know that I’m making a difference,” she says.

It is hoped that women and girls will find role models and heroes in these fearless women, who embody resilience, strength and determination. Their impact could extend far beyond the emergency scene, inspiring a cultural transformation that will impact the generations to come.

The contributor works for The News International