Think Creative Spring 2024

Firefighters extinguish a car fire in Raqqa, Syria, in early 2023.

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Firefighters are saving lives, improving local governance in northeastern Syria

By Michael J. Zamba

On the outskirts of Raqqa, cotton warehouses dot the landscape as farmers across the region bring in their annual harvest—the second most important agricultural product in Northeast ern Syria. Unfortunately, harvest season is also fire season. On a hot day this summer, the two seasons collided when a massive fire broke out in a cotton center north of Raqqa. “It was a very big fire,” recalls Turki Mohamad, the fire brigade leader. “Because of the magnitude of the fire, all the firefighters in the main brigade of Raqqa, the Sahlabiya center, the Hazima center and two fire engines with their teams from the Tabqa Fire Brigade responded.” After hours of nonstop efforts, the firefighters were able to control and extinguish the blaze, saving cotton and earning recognition from res idents and the elected Municipal Committee.

In the provinces of Raqqa, Hasakah, Tabqa and Deir Ezzor in Northeast Syria, firefighters face a daunting challenge. After years of war and few basic resources, they lacked the equipment and training required to fight fires. The firefighters who responded to the cotton warehouse blaze were fortunate as they recent ly received professional training and modern equipment to take on the most common incidents in their areas. It is part of a new effort to provide critical local services to residents in areas liberated from the Syrian regime and violent extremists. While saving lives and property are the firefighters’ main objectives, they are playing a larger role in northeastern Syria as local councils look to build a connection between residents and government service providers in a region that is struggling to rebuild itself.

With funding and support from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, the Facilitating Urban Recovery and Transition (FURAT III) program is working with elected and appointed officials to identify basic services required by residents. Through these efforts, the program aims to strengthen local governance partners in northeastern Syria. The program is designed to support local officials and citizens living outside the regime’s control in the northeastern region of the country, with an emphasis on women, youth and religious and ethnic minorities. “The FURAT III program is designed to support local governance entities and build their capacities to better manage services,” says Mohamad Hamish, FURAT III’s team lead. These services include water, sanitation, electricity and roadwork.

Photos provided by FURAT III

20 | Think Creative | Spring 2024