China.org.cn | September 29, 2024
China Media Group:
We've noticed that following the reform and restructuring of the fire and rescue service, its functions have expanded and its responsibilities have increased, presenting many new challenges. How has the national comprehensive fire and rescue team advanced its organizational structure and enhanced its professional rescue capabilities in recent years? Thank you.
Wang Daoxi:
I would like to invite Mr. Zhou to answer this question.
Zhou Tian:
Thank you for your question. The functions of the nation's comprehensive fire and rescue service have significantly expanded since the reform and restructuring began. The annual number of emergency calls we responded to increased from 1.18 million in 2018 to 2.14 million in 2023, nearly doubling in five years. To meet these expanded responsibilities, we have faithfully implemented the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping. We've further advanced the development of our organizational structure based on China's specific conditions and enhanced our professional rescue capabilities to meet real-world needs. By doing so, we have effectively accelerated the integration, transformation and modernization of our fire and rescue service, significantly increasing our operational effectiveness.
To further advance our organizational structure, we have intensified the urban-rural fire and rescue network by planning and building fire and rescue stations, special-duty stations and government professional firefighting teams. We've also improved enterprises' professional firefighting teams and small-scale fire stations, while guiding localities to establish 24,000 new fire stations in towns and subdistricts, staffed by over 95,000 personnel. We have also formed mobile teams, dispatching over 4,900 servicemen to 20 provinces, achieving coverage across all provincial-level regions and enabling nationwide mobility for major disaster-relief efforts. We have established six state-level regional emergency response and rescue centers in Hebei, Heilongjiang, Hubei, Guangdong, Sichuan and Gansu provinces. These serve as regional aviation rescue bases, emergency supply centers, and elite rapid-response forces, meeting regional disaster and accident response needs. We have focused on strengthening specialized capabilities, establishing over 5,000 specialized rescue teams for scenarios such as high-rise buildings, underground facilities, large-span spaces, hazardous chemicals, earthquakes, water rescues, geological hazards, and ice and snow conditions. Special-duty teams, as well as fire and rescue units, have also been established and enhanced. Based on local needs, some localities have established specialized teams for mountain, ice field, and high-altitude rescues. We've also set up six cross-border forest firefighting and rescue units, as well as 12 special rescue corps. The operational areas of two aviation rescue teams, in Daqing and Kunming, now cover 10 provinces.
In terms of improving professional rescue capabilities, we have promoted the building of national, provincial and municipal earthquake and water rescue training bases, increased the training of special rescue talents and have trained more than 83,000 teachers and technical personnel. We have ramped up efforts to launch practical training as well as have held the fire and rescue professional skill competition for firefighters and the skill competition for fire rescue dogs. We have kept a close eye on both major disasters and extremely complex disasters, enhanced the sharing of information and the joint operation of forces, deepened on-site familiarization drills and expert-assisted decision-making, and have achieved integrated dispatch, command and coordinated emergency response. We have strengthened the application of new technological equipment, accelerated the upgrading of conventional equipment, promoted research and development of high-precision "trump card" equipment and intelligent equipment, as well as have developed practical application technology. Over the past five years, the professional rescue capabilities of our fire and rescue teams have steadily improved, especially in the rescue operations of major disasters and accidents such as the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted Jishishan county, Gansu province, the severe floods in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the dike breach at the lake levee in Tuanzhou township, Hunan province, demonstrating the central role of the main force of emergency rescue and the national team.
Next, we will regard combat capability as the criterion, and rally firefighting forces and shoulder firefighting responsibilities to protect people's lives and property and promote economic and social high-quality development. Thank you.