Chapter 459 - 370

"Stop being a student and become an adjunct instructor; let me see your practical skills."

"Do you have helicopters?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"In the training plan."

"If I become an instructor, can I use them?"

"Depends on your skills."

"Can I modify the training plan?"

"Most of it, no. Like I said, this is an experiment, and we need to provide a performance comparison. Anything else depends on your skills."

"Do you have combined air-ground exercises?"

"Yes."

"Can I take part in putting together the exercise?"

"Depends on your skills."

"...Fine, fine, fine, let’s see what you guys are made of!"

...

Evening.

After three days of training, everyone was starting to get to know each other.

Today’s training has become more and more inhuman. This afternoon, everyone was made to run five kilometers at the drop of a hat, and people were starting to reach their limits.

Up front, Wuya was giving a lecture, and below, a whole bunch of old rats from the school days were whispering complaints under their breath.

"Damn, a five-kilometer march with full gear! We’d already walked back and forth over ten kilometers before starting, and with Lin Chong and Number 1 charging ahead, I nearly puked up my dinner from last night!"

"Heh, you talk about last night’s dinner, I didn’t even have breakfast today, so there’s not even any digested stuff in my stomach."

"This is just the beginning. How are we going to survive the days ahead..."

"Right, right! Today he dares to make us run five kilometers, tomorrow he’ll dare to shit on our heads!"

"...Damn, Number 1, that description of yours... is spot on!"

"Exactly! We should think of something! Who has good ears? When nothing’s going on, circle around their tent more often and listen to what they’re discussing!"

"Mainly, listen to see where logistics are being assigned! We need to protect our logistics!"

"It’s no use, those logistics guys just got off the road by themselves. We better spend more time figuring out what their next move is going to be! Damn, Shennongjia, Savage Mountain... who knows what trick they’ll come up with next! Number 1, Captain Hu is always calling you in for talks, haven’t you picked up any information?"

"Why bother asking? I’ll find a way to sneak in at night and get you guys some materials directly!"

"Hahaha... you’ve really got guts!"

...

"...Overall, the V-shaped rescue relies on gravitational descent and is a rescue system suitable for situations with low height differences. Compared to the T-shaped, the V-shaped rope bridge is simpler, but requires greater traction force. When pulling on one side, double safety measures must be in place to prevent the failure of a single safety rope.

Okay, that’s it for the lesson. Everyone, stand up! Assemble!"

Having finished teaching the V-shaped rescue, Wuya stood up, ordered the blackboard to be removed, and started to organize the squad.

With the basics of T-shaped rescue already covered, and equipped with the right gear, everyone was eager to try it out.

Although there were constant complaints throughout, everyone secretly listened to the lecture and was ready to "buzz in" to earn more points.

This bunch wasn’t made up of young rookies from the new recruit group; at their own units, they were all seasoned vets, used to being in charge.

Many eyes turned towards Fang Huai, because he had been the first to demonstrate the T-shaped technique yesterday and had skillfully altered the auxiliary force system.

Everyone speculated that Number 1 might be the first to raise his hand to demonstrate again.

Some were not content with just earning points; as elites, they felt somewhat challenged by Number 1 continually taking the lead over the past two days and were ready to call out at any moment, feeling fairly confident.

However, when the squad formation was completed, Captain Hu walked to the front of the assembly with all the instructors standing behind Hu Peizhou, and Fang Huai from the ranks didn’t make any reports but walked straight to stand behind Hu Peizhou with his hands behind his back.

The breaths of those in the formation faltered for a second.

What’s happening?

Hu Peizhou cleared his throat.

"Number 1, step forward!"

"Present!"

Fang Huai, who was standing behind him, immediately stepped forward.

Turning to glance at him, Hu Peizhou faced the crowd and said:

"From today onwards, Number 1 will serve as an instructor for the training class! He will be both a physical ability instructor and a skill instructor! Starting today, he will teach some skill-based subjects."

Shit...

The looks in the crowd were that of stunned betrayal.

Are you for real?

Damn it, we were all hoping to get a little extra rations, and you’ve managed to weasel your way into the distribution team?

Fang Huai’s face had a smirk that wasn’t quite a smile as he took another half step forward, adopting the authoritative stance he held in his squadron, and announced loudly:

"I know some of you are not satisfied with the current training subjects, and I’m not too pleased myself. We’re missing hook ladders, portable hand pumps, four-hundred-meter material evacuation drills, and a training tower.

"Some of you quietly say that Lin Chong is nothing but an outsider with some physical strength. He only understands training but knows nothing about firefighting.

"But what about you? How are you any different from outsiders?

"In my eyes, gentlemen, you’re all amateurs when it comes to firefighting."

The Elder Brother of the Duan Shui Liu tells us that to start a brawl, you only need to say ’Everyone present is trash.’

"At that moment, the crowd became incensed.

"Aren’t you going a bit too far with that statement?"

"Just in your first year, and with some ability, are you already spouting nonsense? How many times have you been on a call?"

Fang Huai heard this and immediately turned towards the person who had just spoken, saying:

"Alright, Number 16, you just asked me how many times I’ve been on a call. Good, answer me one question first, do you know how many types of dispatch tasks our firefighters have?"

There was silence for two seconds.

Number 16 was silent too.

Subsequently, a group of people began to express their own opinions.

"Over a hundred types, maybe?"

"My squad leader told me there were 119 kinds!"

"That’s nonsense, the common ones, there are only twenty or thirty types."

Fang Huai didn’t give them too much time and directly spoke up:

"I won’t tell you about kites getting stuck in trees, or lost cats and dogs; those are all public emergencies. They arise because the public could potentially face danger during the handling process, and out of necessity for safeguarding their property, risking danger is inevitable, and we have to police dispatch."

Currently, the incidents that require firefighter dispatch, those that truly count as battles for us, are just 21 categories.

One, fire.

Two, dangerous chemical spills, traffic accidents, earthquakes, building collapses, significant industrial safety incidents, aviation disasters, explosions, terrorist events, and public emergencies.

Three, hydrological droughts, meteorological disasters, geological disasters, forest and grassland fires.

Four, mining accidents, water incidents, significant environmental pollution, nuclear and radiation incidents, and sudden public health events.

Additionally, the range of incidents 119 accepts can be expanded based on special circumstances.

Within each category, there are scenarios beyond imagination.

If any of you sat at the 119 Command Center answering calls for a month, you’d realize how many unforeseen disasters occur, and how many things the Command Center filters out for you.

To mention something less common, public health events.

Disease prevention.

You all went through the one in ’03, right?

I’m telling you, that was on a large scale, but there are also smaller scales.

An operator in our Detachment told me about a patient from the countryside, suspected of having the plague. Before being admitted, the patient had been to many places, so the municipal government required our firefighting assistance for disinfection. The whole Detachment was startled, but thankfully, it was not the plague after the diagnosis.

It was a false alarm.

Do you know what the plague is?

It’s the bubonic plague.

A first-class highly infectious disease with a high mortality rate, which caused the death of about 50 million people in Europe in the fourteenth century. Bites from rat fleas, contact with sick animals, and fluids from the infected could all transmit the disease. Without treatment, the mortality rate could reach thirty to sixty percent. There was a brief increase in cases in southern China in the 1990s.

At that time, if we firefighters had gone in blindly, the Detachment would have had no confidence.

If any soldier without common knowledge contracted the disease, given the collective life system of the firefighting troops, who could have avoided infection?

Isn’t that scary?

However, during a pandemic, personnel transport, supplies transfer, disinfection, drainage work, emergency water supply, and such could all temporarily be included in our dispatch range.

Today on the road, Dolphin was teaching us medical knowledge and mentioned safety tips for disinfection during a pandemic. Were any of you paying attention? Now, can anyone briefly list the fifteen safety precautions for pandemic disinfection?"

At this point, Fang Huai paused.

Everyone was silent.

Even Hu Peizhou was a bit surprised that he would talk about this.

Those who didn’t go through three years of wearing masks truly couldn’t grasp the severity of the situation.

In fact, pandemics never really stopped.

There was SARS in ’03, swine flu in ’09, H1N1 complications, followed by mutant cases, and even that disease in my previous life that claimed my father’s life.

Some were contained, some were beyond control.

Ordinary civilians could hide at home, but firefighters always have many unavoidable responsibilities amidst it all.

In my previous life, those three years kept the firefighters busy.

Fang Huai felt reflective inside, as if the health code was still vividly in front of him.

No, in the future, waiting for them.

These people are elite; perhaps some will stay on to become fifth or sixth cohorts, veteran firefighters, squad leaders, the backbone of the Squadron, and will directly face that long three-year test of people’s endurance and heart.

In that battle, Wuhan had firefighters, Leishenshan Hospital had firefighters, Xi’an had firefighters, Shanghai had firefighters...

Which city wasn’t sealed and didn’t undergo large-scale disinfection?

Everyone else avoided it at all costs, but this group of people, with their consistent contrarian attitude, never feared it.

"And it’s not just these," Fang Huai said:

"This is just a little of my own extension, not even the main business we deal with, yet it’s so perilous.

The knowledge involved here, you might only be proficient in firefighting, right?

This training class is about cultivating your ability to cope with the other twenty disasters and hoping you’ll spread the habit of learning, taking it back to your Squadrons.

In the face of the 20 potential disasters, you might not be the main force responding.

But I’m certain, when things happen, all the departments won’t forget you; you will all be front-line combatants within the lines, required to face disasters squarely. Learning more is not only for your own sake but also for those who live peacefully outside the lines, who are not panicked and trust you.

To enter those lines is an honor, but does the professional knowledge in your elite minds do justice to the honor on your uniforms?

I feel you’re not conscious enough, treating this merely as a survival challenge. But to me, Captain Hu’s subjects are not harsh enough. Rest assured, starting today, I will arrange some really tough subjects for you.

I am right here; we don’t do the almighty instructor routine. I challenge you to any of the specialized subjects I’ve taught; unlike Lin Chong, I am more arrogant. You don’t need to surpass me in everything, but any one specialized subject you surpass me in will be rewarded."

Once these words were spoken, everyone below clenched their teeth.

It had the flavor of a hard-headed instructor.

They all wanted to see how you will feel tomorrow after eating your brave words today.

Hu Peizhou was also shocked.

people below, and you dare make such a statement?

But he just appointed this instructor and it wouldn’t look good to undermine him, but he couldn’t help thinking that he might need to compensate for this later, not to give them too many chances for provocation.

Talk is cheap, but failing to deliver is a great challenge to the credibility of the instructor team.

Even the instructors behind him were quivering slightly at the corners of their mouths.

Do you know why we have four skill instructors?

It’s because no one can be an expert in everything, understand?

"Ahem," Wuya cleared his throat as a reminder.

Fang Huai looked back and as if he remembered something, he smirked and said:

"Oh, I forgot, the instructor team can challenge me as well."