Shazia Parveen

Shazia Parveen, who is the first female fire fighter of rescue unit 1122 in Vehari, near Multan has made the nation proud by becoming the first ever fire fighter of Pakistan and perhaps in all of Asia. Becoming the first ever female fire fighter has always been a dream for Shazia 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.

But it has not been an easy road to her dream. After recruitment, Shazia had to go through gruelling training sessions for seven months with Punjab Emergency Services in Lahore. She trained to swim, jump, and rescue with the help of ropes 300ft up and down the ground. Amongst the 600 people there, she was the only woman who completed the training.

Many male co-trainers left the exhausting training but Shazia, with sheer determination, continued on to become the only one candidate who got selected to be a professional fire fighter. She was the only person selected from a pool of 600 candidates.

Shazia always wanted to opt for a profession that others found daring. Since, it is a common perception that women only set fuel to fire (Aurtain aag lagati hain), Shazia wanted to change this by becoming a fire fighter.

Normally women are scared of working alongside men. However, Shazia believes these differences must be shunned and women can work with men. Initially when people saw her engaging in rescue work with men they would laugh at her. But when they found out how hard working she was they began respecting her.

A confident and daring rescuer, shazia gives her best to every mission she is assigned to. In a male-dominated society, she does her job without worrying about criticism. Fighting against all critics and stereotypes, the brave girl has been putting out fire and saving lives since 2010.

Shazia lives in Karampur, and shares a house with eight siblings. Her father is a retired military officer.