Chapter 658 - 463 I’m not talking about this position!_2

Fang Huai really didn’t understand much.

But Minister Lv simply chuckled.

You’re still playing dumb when you’re as clear as day.

How dare you make demands, yet pretend not to understand the policy?

"Little Fang, there’s no need to be modest, and don’t worry. Since the school has the authority to carry out initial rank assignment, it also has the related power. For students who perform well, especially those with outstanding contributions, the school can suggest to the superiors for an improvement in the assigned rank.

This suggestion is generally approved, but very few students receive such a promotion proposal from the school.

The military promotion system emphasizes performance appraisal. Little Fang, your past personal achievements are outstanding, and that’s the key to the school’s confidence in suggesting your promotion.

However... your concern about education is not unfounded. You should enhance your abilities comprehensively, and not be too concerned about promotions at any given moment. The key junctures for promotion within the troops are not at the junior officer’s level but at the field officer’s. Particularly in our firefighting forces, reaching the detachment level requires waiting for a post, and getting stuck there once means a long wait."

Minister Lv, hands clasped behind his back, solemnly imparted the wisdom grasped by seasoned cadres, offering support to a young, spirited cadre.

So what if you ascend the junior officer ranks quickly? As a field officer, after reaching the regiment level, you might be promoted every three to four years if you’re lucky, or seven to eight years if you’re not. Some might switch positions at the same rank and still see no promotion, missing the queue for transfer till retirement.

That’s a different view altogether.

But Fang Huai just stared, his ears buzzing.

Can I really be promoted?

Then what else to talk about? Go for it!

Without rank, how can I accomplish great things?

Twenty years is too long. The firefighting has been reformed, and I will seize every moment!

He, as a new recruit dared to be involved in the reform of the squadron. Once the single stripe on his shoulder turns into two and he becomes a field officer, he will dare to voice his opinions on legislation issues!

Right, didn’t Boss Wu promise that after conferring my rank, I could be promoted one level ahead of time?

Won’t that make me a captain?

Soon!

In my past life, I heard about doctoral candidates being recruited into the military with just four years to promotion as a deputy regimental officer. Well, this isn’t too fast for me!

Fang Huai thought blissfully, completely forgetting that those doctoral grads were already in their late twenties when they graduated and were over thirty by their fourth year of service.

He enlisted at nineteen, and in two months, he’d be just twenty.

If he leaves the academy as a second lieutenant in command of a regular company at twenty and gets promoted ahead of time within a year, he’d be nearly twenty-two and a captain. According to the corresponding rank and position, his level might also be quickly raised to deputy battalion.

A deputy battalion leader at twenty-three — Langfang graduates at this age would probably have just graduated and still be at the deputy company level, a whole rank below, with their pay scales two to three tiers apart.

This rate of promotion is faster than even the quickest advancing technical officers from the early stages, enough to make others’ jaws drop if spoken aloud.

Fang Huai heaved a long sigh.

Damn it.

Who would’ve thought the hardest step would be becoming an officer? Once through that door, the rank rises relentlessly.

"Thank you, sir. I will do my best!"

Fang Huai snapped to attention, looking rather spirited.

When Minister Lv talked about promotion, it was just a pie in the sky, and seeing Little Fang acting as if he’d already got the treat, he quickly brought him back to reality:

"Don’t thank me yet, nothing is set in stone! You’re that confident? Even if we achieve cooperation, are you confident about producing research results and realizing a profit?"

The firefighting forces are units that ask for alms daily and burn through money just as fast, especially the academy. Without local level support, they would really be at the mercy of the ministry for sustenance, or else it wouldn’t make sense for a principal to personally look into such matters.

Minister Lv mentioned "profit" without a hint of embarrassment.

This is a true pragmatist cadre.

But once Fang Huai had eaten his fill, there was no way he could spit it out.

After some deliberation, he decided to throw out even more ideas.

"Ahem, Minister! The truth is, I first had the inspiration before I thought about collaboration!"

"I myself am a frontline combatant, and I also like to look at foreign military information, so I’ve had many thoughts during rescue operations!"

"Firstly, there are three types of equipment inspired by American firefighters and troops that could be introduced and improved upon!"

"An emergency rescue tactical belt, a smoke curtain, and a direct-stream nozzle water gun!"

"Our standard emergency rescue belt is currently quite rudimentary, consisting of woven straps and punch holes, and in an effort to accommodate the lightness needed for rescue operations, it doesn’t even have a pull ring. In many police dispatch situations, we hardly ever wear it, and when we really need to work at height, we usually wear the old-style training belts similar to fire rescue belts."

"That design of the belt is almost ten years old."

"At that time, limited by material capabilities and the lack of lightweight high-altitude self-protection equipment, producing such a design was in line with the era."

"But now, with the substantial development of our manufacturing industry and the increasing frequency of high-altitude operations, as well as the large-scale introduction and use of SRT and DRT rope techniques, we have better materials and equipment to choose from. The old, heavy, rigid belts with limited carrying capacity are no longer suitable."

"Therefore, I took inspiration from a CBQ safety belt used by the US Military’s airborne troops and designed a concept for a safe, lightweight tactical belt."

"The main body of the belt is made of high-density woven high-strength aramid fibers, with a tactical belt sash, aluminum material self-locking quick-release buckle, and comes with a high-strength D-shaped stainless steel load-bearing ring integrally formed to prevent accidental opening."

"The equipment includes an 8mm 60cm flat loop and a quick-release spring lock. The flat loop connects to the D-ring of the belt and, together with the main lock, provides on-the-spot positional protection for operators. The flat loop and main lock can also be used to create high-altitude working anchors."

"The D-ring of the belt buckle, combined with the main lock, can be used to create an Italian hitch in emergency situations or for rapid descent along the rope with a figure-8 descender for self-rescue and escape."

"It also comes with a multifunctional folding plier that, when unfolded, looks like a butterfly knife and has various cutting, shearing, opening, and drilling capabilities."

"Although the main material and chosen equipment are lightweight and have not been physically combined, I believe the total weight will not exceed 17 pounds."

"This is a key piece of equipment that links past and future. We’ve spent a lot of money learning other people’s rope techniques but lack matching support belts, which is uneconomical. I think this design approach is necessary to keep up with increasingly advanced rescue technology and greatly increase combat efficiency."

"Additionally, there is the introduction of smoke curtains and improvements to water guns..."

Fang Huai went into great detail, as if all these pieces of equipment were right before his eyes.

Minister Lv initially just planned to listen briefly, but as he listened, he slowly realized these things were truly cost-effective. Apart from the tactical belt being a bit expensive to make, and the general cost of equipping the force being high, when compared to the benefits they could provide, they were not on the same level.

Wouldn’t improving the equipment that soldiers carry with them be far more practical than some of the redundant, expensive, and underused bulky equipment on fire trucks?

Besides, high costs come with profits!

Each of these three products hit the pain points and gaps of the firefighting forces!

Quite impressive indeed!

Just as Minister Lv was already pleasantly surprised, Fang Huai continued speaking.

"In addition, there is the need to establish a subsidiary under the equipment company, focusing on the development of a firefighting computer command system."

"In Tianjin, I presented some ideas for improving the 119 Command System to my superiors, making some upgrades to the emergency collaborative expert database, dispatch location information, and coordination with 110 and 120 functions."

"The leaders were quite receptive, and I assume that in the near future, it should be put into use."

"It involves a massive amount of safety information, thus, there’s a need for a design unit with military background to handle confidentiality. I believe this is something the school really needs to put effort into."

"Of course, the resulting economic benefits should grant the school a higher share."

At this point, Minister Lv’s eyes lit up again.

"Young man, you’ve come to the right person! Do you know about the Golden Shield Project?"

Fang Huai smiled.

"Commander, if I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have asked the school to make an effort."