Fatma Doğanay Marks 26 Years as Turkey’s First Female Airport Firefighter

Fatma Doğanay, a 2000 graduate of Kocaeli University’s Firefighting and Fire Safety program, lost her sister in the 1999 Marmara earthquake. The tragedy motivated her to join the fire service, and she later passed the exams to become the first female fire‑truck driver in Turkey.

Since 1996 she has served in the ARFF (Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting) unit at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, completing 26 uninterrupted years of duty. Doğanay operates locally built ARFF vehicles, works a 24‑hour shift system, and continues to describe her work as a “sacred profession” that she performs with enthusiasm and dedication. Her career is highlighted as an example of perseverance and a source of inspiration for women pursuing aviation‑safety and emergency‑services roles.