Longnan City is located in the southeast of Gansu Province, located in the geometric center of China's territory, the 33rd parallel of north latitude traverses the whole territory, is the "Longshang Jiangnan" in the depths of the Qinling Mountains. The climate here is temperate and diverse, giving birth to national first-class wild plants such as cycads, dove trees, yew, etc., and inhabiting national-level protected animals such as giant pandas, Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys, and red-bellied golden pheasants. The Longnan Detachment of the Gansu Forest Fire Brigade has been stationed here for a long time, guarding the ecological safety of the Qinling Mountains.
Dedicate youth and sweat to every grass and tree, every forest, today's "New Year Walk to the Grassroots", we go deep into the hinterland of the Qinling Mountains with the forest fire commanders and fighters, and listen to the New Year perseverance of the "Guardians of Lucid Waters and Green Mountains".
In the hinterland of the Qinling Mountains in February, the spring breeze is still cold, and the plants and trees are waiting to sprout. Firefighters of the Wudu Squadron of the Longnan Detachment of the Gansu Forest Fire Brigade wore orange fireproof clothing and marched on foot in the depths of the mountains and forests.
Qi Shuanghong, Squadron Leader of the Wudu Squadron: You see that the vegetation here is particularly lush, and all the shrubs below are underneath, and once a forest fire breaks out, it will become a crown fire from the bottom up.
Fire commanders and fighters of the Wudu Squadron of the Wudu Brigade of the Longnan Detachment of the Gansu Forest Fire Brigade went deep into the forest area to patrol the fire prevention
This densely vegetated mountain forest belongs to the Yuhe National Nature Reserve, with steep slopes and complex vegetation topography, and the accumulated dead branches and fallen leaves are buried at the feet. 28-year-old Qi Shuanghong is the squadron leader of the Wudu squadron, and every year around the Spring Festival, he will lead the team members to patrol the mountains to strengthen the protection of wildlife habitats, and grasp the climate, topography, vegetation and other information in the forest area.
Qi Shuanghong: The top is the fallen leaves, and the bottom is the humus layer, which is the fallen leaves that rot year after year, turning into combustible humus, about 15 cm. If it catches fire, it can easily cause an underground fire, and if it spreads further, it will ignite the forest. At present, the moisture content of the vegetation is very low, and it will break when you skim it, so the fire prevention situation in this place is still very serious.
Reporter: It's still a little hot when I touch this stump.
Qi Shuanghong: This is a birch, birch bark is particularly flammable, this place has such flammable birch trees, as well as pine trees, pine trees are relatively oily, once it catches fire, it is extremely difficult to extinguish. We are now in the middle of the mountain, and then climb up, there is a high mountain bamboo forest, which is particularly dense, and it is intertwined and scattered, and the personnel cannot move forward at all, so we usually bring a combination tool by ourselves, which has such machetes, saws, and chain saws, and open a way out by ourselves.
In winter and spring, the fire prevention situation is severe, and the fire commanders and fighters of the Wudu Squadron carry out patrol and inspection work
In winter and spring, the air in the wooded area is mixed with the smell of earth and dried plants, and the sun is warm, but not the light is abundant. Along the way, Qi Shuanghong kept loudly reminding the team members to pay attention to the route obscured by the dead grass, and then settle down after seeing it clearly.
Reporter: Are they all such paths?
Qi Shuanghong: Yes, most of them are such paths. This road is not easy to walk, it is too narrow. Smooth the way, pay attention to the branches, and be careful that this place is slippery!
The mountain is high and the slope is steep, and the firefighters often use their hands and feet to open their own roads when they go up the mountain
Firefighters climb mountains and mountains, often on steep slopes with no road, and sometimes have to climb on near-vertical cliffs with their hands and feet.
Qi Shuanghong: When you encounter all kinds of thorns and barbs, you will have a lot of thorns on your hands when you climb to the top of the mountain. There was no road on the way down the mountain, so we created a method called "dirt plane". There were ditches on both sides of the mountain, and we sat on the leaves in the ditch and slid down on our own. Because the mountain is very steep, people's ability to control their bodies is very low, and sometimes they will fall on their heels and hit trees, so everyone has holes in the buttocks of fireproof suits.
Qi Shuanghong, captain of the Wudu Squadron of the Wudu Brigade of the Longnan Detachment of the Gansu Forest Fire Brigade
When performing tasks, not only will the fireproof clothing be worn out of holes or scratched holes, but the shoes of firefighters will not be spared.
Qi Shuanghong: What is particularly impressive is that in the process of fighting a mountain fire, my fireproof shoes stepped on the ground fire, and the temperature was very high, so all the glue of my fireproof shoes was boiled, and half of my feet were already stretched out of the upper. There was no way to change new shoes in the mountains, so I found a trouser belt and tied a knot between the sole and upper of my shoes for two days until the end of the mission.
The vegetation terrain in the forest area is complex, and firefighters pass through the trees
The Qinling Mountains are full of ravines and peaks and obstacles. It takes about five or six hours to get from the base of the mountain to the top of the mountain and back to the bottom of the mountain from another slope. Qi Shuanghong said that sometimes dangerous fires are encountered on the way, which need to be dealt with in time, so the fire commanders and fighters are carrying equipment and materials, with an average weight of more than 30 kilograms.
Qi Shuanghong: In this bag, we put canned meat, ready-to-eat food, and a compressed biscuit.
Reporter: This is rice?
Qi Shuanghong: Yes, this is our rice, sometimes the mission location is too far away, just like the last time we lit the fire, the whole journey took seven or eight hours, and the supply behind it was particularly difficult, so we took a bottle of rice based on self-protection.
Reporter: Is there a pound in a bottle of rice?
Qi Shuanghong: There is one catty, we can eat two meals, and everyone has a bottle. We also have our own kettle, which is a multi-functional multi-purpose type, add rice, pour water, light a fire and hang it on the treetops, which is equivalent to a pot for simmering rice. We cook our own meals in the wild, mainly drinking porridge and wild vegetables in the summer.
Qi Shuanghong (first from left) briefed reporters on the supplies in the forest firefighters' backpacks
Near noon, more than half of the inspection task was completed, and the information such as the fuel load under the forest, the type of vegetation in the forest area, and the water source were recorded in the electronic system by the fire commanders and fighters. These contents will further improve the data, provide accurate information support for fire prevention and fire fighting and natural disaster rescue, and help firefighters fight fires and avoid danger faster at critical moments.
Fire commanders and fighters went deep into the hinterland of the forest area, conducted on-site investigations, sampled and summarized all kinds of data
Every time they set foot on this mountain forest, the firefighters of the Wudu Squadron will also go out of their way to visit their "old friends" - a group of Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys that have settled in the Yuhe National Nature Reserve for a long time.
Qi Shuanghong: When it's almost time for lunch, they will all come down here to eat fruit and corn. We and the rangers here often bring some bananas to improve their diet. We are most familiar with the Monkey King, who often has close contact with us, and a monkey who has a pinch of white hair on his face, which we often recognize.
The fire commanders and fighters of the Wudu Squadron visited the "old friend" Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey
With a blue nose and dazzling golden hair, and sometimes flying through the treetops and sometimes flying on the cliffs, this group of national first-class protected animals is the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey that haunts a cliff in the reserve almost every day. When patrolling the mountains and forests, the fire commanders and fighters often met with this group of "Monkey Kings", and after a long time, they also became "old acquaintances" in the eyes of these Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys.
Qi Shuanghong: The monkey fur is relatively light, and the newborn monkeys, and some are particularly small, all of which are held in the arms of the mother monkey. Like this one, a two-year-old slightly adult monkey is around. I can't remember exactly how many times we came, but they didn't resist when we walked by, and they were gentle. I think they will surely recognize our clothes, that they know us.
Firefighters interact with golden monkeys
The golden snub-nosed monkey is lively and active, and occasionally gets injured when playing. In March last year, when Qi Shuanghong led a team to investigate, he launched a rescue for the monkeys. At that time, a baby monkey hanging in front of the female monkey accidentally fell from a cliff, and the female monkey noticed something unusual, and while swooping down hard, she sent a nervous distress signal.
Qi Shuanghong: After falling down, the little monkey fell on the platform below and did not move, at that time the mother monkey was very nervous, the whole monkey group was very excited, we evacuated the tourists in time, sent our professional health team to check, bandaged the injured place, successfully rescued the little monkey, and it followed back to the top of the mountain with the mother. I feel that the relationship between the mother monkey and the baby monkey is similar to that of humans, and their feelings are very delicate.
"Blue Friend" has become an "old acquaintance" of the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey
Last year, the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey population gave birth to nearly 20 cubs, and the "little ones" are now in strong physique and growing well. Qi Shuanghong said that in addition to the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey, they have also rescued wild giant salamanders, sika deer, yellow muntjac and other protected animals in recent years. In the patrol and rescue, Qi Shuanghong deeply felt that the protection of national forest resources, the care of wild animals, and the making of the home more and more beautiful and harmonious are the value of forest firefighting.
Qi Shuanghong: In the process of patrolling again and again, we can deeply feel that the people's awareness of ecological environmental protection is gradually improving, and we can deeply feel that our ecological environment is getting better year by year, and the species and number of precious animals and plants such as golden monkeys and yew are increasing, and I think this is also the strength of our persistence.
The fire commanders and fighters of the Wudu Squadron explained the common sense of fire safety to the villagers in Zhaoqianba Village, Yuhe Town
During the Spring Festival, the fire commanders and fighters of the Wudu Squadron still stick to the front line of their posts, do a good job of full-time preparation and inspection, and go to villages and households to promote the concept of forest fire prevention. Qi Shuanghong said that he will continue to lead the team members to dedicate their youth and sweat to every grass and tree and every forest here to protect the safety of the party.
Qi Shuanghong: We can devote our youth to the front line of protecting the ecological environment, and it is worth doing these little things well.
Fire commander and fighter of the Wudu Squadron of the Wudu Brigade of the Longnan Detachment of the Gansu Forest Fire Brigade
Source: CCTV news client