What they say

Editor's note: The State Council Information Office invited five representatives in the emergency response field for a group interview on Thursday in Beijing to talk about fulfilling emergency response mission and safeguarding people's safety.

Zhao Jun, director of the emergency management bureau, Zizhong county, Neijiang city, Sichuan province

Emergency management work connects the safety of thousands of households with social and economic development. My job is to organize professional forces to conduct comprehensive inspections of various enterprises, public places and disaster hazards. We consistently compile summary reports on a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis. In recent years, the number of production safety accidents in the county has steadily declined. Since 2021, there have been no forest fires, and wildfires have been effectively controlled. Moreover, we led the formation of the city's first county-level civil rescue team, participating in a series of rescue activities such as landslides, earthquakes, drownings and floods.

Bateer, director of a grassroots fire and rescue station in Hohhot city, Inner Mongolia autonomous region

This year marks my 17th year of service. From the time I began as a novice to a leader, I have undergone over 4,800 firefighting and rescue operations, often narrowly escaping death, and safeguarded the lives and property of people. In fire rescue scenes, the larger and more dangerous the site is, the more unexpected events could occur, requiring me as the commander to be fully committed. The fire and rescue industry has a saying: "Bring out as many people as you took in safely." My father was a firefighter who sacrificed his life to save others. Having experienced the trials of life and death, I finally understand why my father risked his life to save others — it is the duty and mission of firefighters.

Wang Tao, a researcher at China Earthquake Administration's Institute of Engineering Mechanics

I have, on multiple occasions, visited sites of earthquakes to collect data on building damages, analyzed the causes of collapses, and provided reinforcement and technical repair solutions. After the 8.0-magnitude Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, my colleagues and I developed new experimental methods to reveal the destructive mechanisms of building collapses. As a structural safety expert with the China Search and Rescue Team, I participated in rescue operations for the Turkiye earthquake in 2023 and the Myanmar earthquake this year. During these operations, I ventured into ruins amidst risks of aftershock, conducting safety analysis of the debris and providing a basis for rescue plans, effectively ensuring the smooth conduct of rescue operations.

Wu Wei, director for disaster assessment at the Ministry of Emergency Management's National Disaster Reduction Center

My primary responsibility is conducting disaster assessment research and practical applications, providing technological support for disaster risk prevention, relief, and post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. For 19 years, I have been deeply involved in disaster remote sensing, monitoring and early warning, and disaster assessment. My work areas include the high-altitude, cold Tibetan regions, mountainous disaster zones and earthquake zones with continuous aftershocks. In recent years, my team and I have promoted the development of a comprehensive disaster assessment technology system, enhancing the scientific and rational nature of disaster assessments through remote sensing technology, ground sampling surveys, simulation and machine learning.

Zhang Yihai, deputy head of the National Emergency Response and Survey Team for Workplace Safety

Our survey team was officially established in 2018, primarily responsible for surveying tasks at rescue sites involving landslides and collapses, warning of secondary landslide risks, ensuring the safety of rescue personnel, and providing real-time data support for on-site command. Over the past six years with the team, I have traveled over 200 days each year, solving hundreds of slope technology issues for more than 100 open-pit mining enterprises across the country, accumulating a wealth of experience. We have participated in emergency rescue operations in harsh environments like high temperatures, humidity, severe cold, snowstorms and high-altitude oxygen shortages. Using self-developed slope radar equipment, we closely monitor the risk of slope collapses at rescue sites, providing over 5,000 hours of safe monitoring, and ensuring the safety of nearly 3,000 rescue personnel.