in theHeat

| By: VERONICA NEVAREZ photography by: KARLA MARTINEZ

native of Miami, Karla Martinez left “The Sunshine State” for the Sun City with her family in middle school and proudly attended Andress High School. Fluent in Portuguese, which stems from her Brazilian roots, she describes her family’s relocation as that of her parents simply looking for a change. Fast forward, Martinez would not only make El Paso her permanent home, this would become the place where she would, ultimately, risk her life for her fellow El Pasoans.

driving force. I wanted to prove them wrong, and I wanted to prove it to myself.”

In fact, it was Martinenz’s own mother, Waldicir Oliveira, who urged her to consider a career as a firefighter. Her mother was a police dispatcher and understood the

Yet, despite the challenges, Martinez’s career has stood the test of time in her rare role and is now approaching a significant 30year mark come 2024 -- a huge milestone for any firefighter.

The physical demands were a major consideration for such an undertaking, both in terms of initially qualifying for the job and in executing the work. Still, Martinez raised the bar for herself over the years through a balancing act of intense cross fit training and running, which has kept her ahead of the curve. In terms of lifting heavy equipment, fire hoses and ladders in particular, and let’s not forget the heroic act of rescuing others,

At 51 years of age, Martinez celebrates her 29th anniversary with the El Paso Fire Department (EPFD) in 2023. She embarked on her newfound career as the first-ever female in our city to pass the physical exam for admission into the El Paso Fire Training Academy in 1992 and later became the third female firefighter to graduate from the

Naturally, this raises the question of what drove Karla to consider a career in a still largely male-dominated field and where the occupational risks are life-threatening.

“I knew there would be men that would say, ‘Women aren’t supposed to be here’,” she explains. “The challenge was my monetary benefits of being a city employee. The opportunities for women firefighters have long existed, but as Martinez knows firsthand, there was always -- and still remains -- a stigma surrounding this notion. which might very well mean carrying a large individual to safety, Martinez has winningly met the demands.

Today, there are only 22 women firefighters of the entire 937 firefighters in the city of El Paso, which speaks volumes to this reality.

Of course, the emotional demands can be just as burdensome. Take the horrific events of the mass shooting at the Cielo Vista area Walmart in El Paso on August 3, 2019 that killed 23 people.

The impeccable timing of ‘Pumper 20,’ which is Karla’s direct company within the EPFD and the first on the scene, led one bystander to run baby Paul Anchondo, straight into the arms of Martinez, who then rushed the then quote by Confucius: “Find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.”

Something Martinez also loves to do is sing.

What some might not know is that behind the mighty uniform is a woman blessed with

Anthem at the first-ever ‘State of the City’ address on April 19, 2023 at the El Paso Convention Center.

There has always been talk regarding the idea of beauty and brains, and Martinez not only met her objective of “proving them wrong,” she’s the total package of beauty, brains and also, bravery. This is not something any of us can buy and -- for many -- bravery is something that doesn’t come naturally. This makes the feat of becoming a woman firefighter a remarkable example of what it means to push the envelope.

Martinez could have already retired at age 45, but she’s still going strong. She jokes that she could not retire or otherwise she’d “go nuts.”

2-month old directly to UMC. Thankfully, the baby survived the bullet that grazed his arm, however, his mother, Jordan Anchondo, died along with her husband, Andre Anchondo, while protecting their son from the shooter.

The emotional roller coasters that any firefighter faces have seemed to make Martinez only more determined to lead the pack.

She asserts that although a fire department may never be realistically composed of both men and women, equally, she believes the future looks bright for women firefighters.

“I love what I do, day in and day out,” she says and follows that with the well-known the gift of voice. From singing in church choirs to a passion for karaoke, Martinez has headlined several popular local bands, including Red Ruby, which had a fantastic, 8-year run here in town. Quite impressively, she’s had a steady gig singing the National Anthem for a few years at Speaking Rock Entertainment Center and for several years at the El Paso Chihuahuas games for their annual ‘First Responders Appreciation Night.’

She’s also sung at a few El Paso City Council events and was personally invited by Mayor Oscar Leeser to sing our National

Not surprisingly, she encourages women to consider joining the fire department.

She recommends visiting a local fire station and taking a look at the equipment, as well as visiting the training academy. She urges those women to get in tip-top shape, especially in the upper body where most of the body is utilized while on the job.

Of course, Martinez also speaks candidly about the need for women who are considering a career in the fire department to be realistic with themselves in terms of both the physical and emotional demands of the job. Although there will be some women, like her, who may very well meet and exceed those demands, she unabashedly points out that women are simply not cut from the same cloth as men, at least in terms of physical strength. The emotional demands will undoubtedly test anyone in this line of work at any given time.

Still, she describes the tough, physical aspects of the job as being an “everyday thing.”

Even so, this is a woman who lays her life on the line each and every day for us all, and does so with an indiscriminate heart and the determination of someone who, indeed, is a real life hero to our city.