People say that when you stay in one place for a long time, it becomes your home. Since I came to this only Lahu Autonomous County in the country in 2020, I have formed an inseparable relationship with Jingmai Mountain. This has become my second home, and Jingmai Mountain is also my beloved second hometown, a place where I have deep emotions and stories. In the past 22 years of firefighting, I have been awarded the titles of advanced individual, outstanding Communist Party member, outstanding grassroots cadre, good chief officer, outstanding legal officer, and law enforcement expert by the Provincial Fire and Rescue Corps and the Municipal Fire and Rescue Detachment, and have been awarded personal third-class merit twice.
When I first arrived in Lancang, facing the severe challenges of 20 townships and towns, 480,000 people, and insufficient vehicles and equipment for the brigade, I led the team to explore and move forward, overcoming many difficulties, and the brigade's funding hit a record high for three consecutive years, doubling the salary of full-time firefighters. On September 17, 2023, the Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest was successfully declared a World Heritage Site, and after 3 years of fire protection work, the brigade was awarded the collective third-class merit of the National Bureau, and I personally won the third-class merit of the National Bureau. We firefighters work hard every day to protect the safety of this land and its people, and I have a deep love for this job and a deep affection for the mountains and rivers here. I am incredibly proud to be able to protect this beautiful home.
Back at the beginning of the work in Jingmai Mountain, rows of wooden houses, lack of fire-fighting facilities, and ethnic minorities who did not understand the language were all challenges. I led the team members to carry out regular fire inspections, go to the villages, gain an in-depth understanding of the local people's feelings, and establish a deep friendship with the masses. The people here for generations are like caring for their own eyes to love here, with our unremitting efforts, the party committee and government attach great importance to the fire protection work of Jingmai Mountain, has invested more than 50 million yuan to transform the fire infrastructure, fire pool, fire pipe network, outdoor fire hydrant and fire control room have been built, the purchase of fire trucks and fire equipment, every household is equipped with fire water tanks and fire extinguishers, the old electrical wiring is all transformed to meet the standard. In the face of the language barrier, we selected local firefighters who are proficient in minority languages to form a "national language fire propaganda team" to regularly open a "bilingual night school" for fire fighting, set up a rural fire film screening team, and take turns to broadcast and publicize in 15 villages; Truly "everyone understands firefighting, everyone is a firefighter", and at the same time, through a variety of channels to enrich and expand the Jingmaishan fire volunteer team.
I still remember that in 2021, after the personnel adjustment of the brigade and the transfer of my partner, I did not take a day off for 8 consecutive months when I was the only chief officer, and I had no time to take care of the sick elderly and young daughters at home, because during the critical period of Jingmai Mountain's application for World Heritage Status, fire safety cannot tolerate the slightest mistake. On the day of Jingmai Mountain's successful application for World Heritage Status, when everyone was immersed in a happy and peaceful atmosphere, I was relieved and silently wrote 8 words in the circle of friends: "Warm celebration, I am fortunate to participate", but I know that the responsibility in the future will be more arduous, and the work needs to be redoubled.
In the past three years, my footsteps have spread all over every corner of Jingmai Mountain, guarding fire safety with the villagers in the village. The brightly lit night school illuminates the villagers' desire for firefighting knowledge, and also illuminates the home we protect together. With the unwavering support of my family, I never felt alone. The sweat and efforts have been condensed into the joy of Jingmai Mountain's successful application for World Heritage Status. I believe that every donation is worth it, because what we protect is the peace and happiness of countless families.
▌Source: Colorful clouds
▌Editor: Wang Qinmei
▌Proofreader: He Yunfu
▌Audit: Ziyuan Yuan
▌Final review: Wang Yi