With faithfulness to her noble calling and a passion for the written word, young Butul Al-Habshi represents a model of the ambitious and diligent Emirati woman who has mastered setting her goals and raising the ceiling of her dreams. She transitioned from working in ambulances to the world of literature, attempting to spread awareness messages based on her field experience, opening her eyes to moments of high confidentiality, and stories that taught her the value of life and the need to preserve its blessing. About the beginning of her journey in the world of emergency services, Butul said at the outset of her interview with "Al-Ittihad": "I joined the Higher Colleges of Technology and obtained a bachelor's degree in emergency medicine in 2022 before immediately joining Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services. After spending more than two years and four months in the field, I feel that I have chosen a path that expresses me and serves my ambitions by extending a helping hand to others, which today gives me a multiplied sense of commitment and responsibility. My presence as an Emirati woman in this field is very important, because women in our society have their own specificity, so I feel blessed when I help female patients who feel comfortable having a female paramedic by their side. I always encourage female students to venture into this humanitarian field because it is full of human experiences, and meanings of giving and challenge that push me, as an Emirati woman, to prove myself in this field where women today have proven their competence." Regarding the difficulties and challenges of her work as a paramedic, Butul, who is not yet 24 years old, explained: "I believe that the most difficult thing in this profession is the long working hours and the volume of responsibility placed on us. This constantly drives me, as a paramedic, to be faithful and diligent in performing my duty and the requirements of my profession to the fullest. We face drowning, falling, and collision accidents, and we work in difficult environments, yet we try to overcome them. As for our work schedule, it does not adhere to fixed leave systems or regular official holidays because our daily obligations to serve our community and emergency response systems require 24/7 service." Despite the challenges, the field experience left Butul with pivotal human moments linked to her memory of childbirth cases and life-and-death stations she experienced with her team, through which she succeeded in saving patients who suffered from cardiac arrest or temporary coma, or fires or serious daily accidents. From the heart of these experiences, the young Emirati woman learned important lessons in patience and a deliberate outlook on life, saying: "There is no doubt that this profession has completely changed me. I have become more balanced, and I no longer give things more weight than they deserve. He who sees the misfortunes of others makes his own calamity seem lighter, as the saying goes. Also, daily dealing sometimes with death cases has made me more appreciative of my life, my family, and relatives, and more committed to my religion. The bottom line is that every ambulance case gave me a new lesson and taught me the value of life, which is a great blessing that cannot be replaced." International Trainer Despite holding an "Advanced Paramedic" certificate, Butul also engages in training work after successfully passing tests organized by HSI and joining a program under the European Institute under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and Community Protection, becoming an internationally certified trainer in the field of medical emergency response to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) incidents. She clarified: "My main task today is to qualify national cadres to deal—God forbid—with major incidents through a major national project that includes doctors and specialists from various emirates of the UAE. I also actively participate in a number of community awareness programs and provide first aid courses in schools and public centers, through which I have succeeded in training kindergarten teachers and employees in various institutions." Passion Regarding the other side of her talents, Emirati paramedic Butul Al-Habshi sees her passion for writing as fundamentally linked to her cultural upbringing in a home that loves reading and the Arabic language, which made her start her journey with the word early before her creative experience matured in 2021, and she accomplished her first publication, with which she discovered her creative abilities and the possibility of employing this talent to spread awareness in her society. She added: "My first literary work was a detective novel titled 'I Am a Victim of My Disease,' followed by a collection of short stories titled 'A Paramedic's Diary,' in which she documented human stories from hospitals and emergency departments in a realistic narrative style. I also presented a novel titled 'He Came Out of the Coffin Alive,' inspired by the real story of an Iraqi young man who survived a terrorist bombing in 2003, leading to my latest publication 'A Day in the Life of a Paramedic,' which achieved a remarkable presence among readers at the Sharjah International Book Fair for containing real stories from the world of emergency services." Initiatives Butul Al-Habshi launched a number of initiatives from her position as a paramedic and writer, first establishing the "Nabigha" initiative to promote the Arabic language and reading, as well as organizing virtual dialogue sessions to teach Arabic, alongside her specialized (EMS) initiative for emergency medicine students to discuss the latest medical studies, affirming her commitment to achieving the goals of framing individuals and training them to act properly in emergency situations. The Culture of Emergency Services Butul Al-Habshi described the culture of emergency services as collective responsibility, adding: "(Everyone is a paramedic) by virtue of their presence among family members and colleagues, and they may face situations that require quick intervention." She called for caution in learning the basics of first aid and following specialized programs and videos: "Live your lives with your mind and calmness, calculate your steps, and enjoy life without recklessness, for caution does not contradict joy."
