In the fish pond the size of a basketball court, Xue Shouchang plunged into it again and again.
The red buoy floated on the surface of the water, marking the position of the drowning person, and there were circles of ripples around.
He can only rely on "touch".
Xue Shouchang tied the guide rope around his waist to the water mass under the float, took it as the center, released a 1-meter rope as the radius, and groped in circles.
Scrap tires, tables and chairs from food stalls, and dry branches that look like human limbs were taken out and thrown ashore again and again, until he caught the touch of flesh.
The drowning man was finally brought ashore.
This is a special fire rescue team. They are not only facing the raging flames, but also diving and salvaging, wading in rapids, and shouldering the dual tasks of conventional fire and water rescue.
This is also the earliest water rescue force in Beijing.
In the past 15 years, from "following cats and drawing tigers" to learn diving knowledge by comparing videos, and the success of rescue is all based on "luck", to receiving professional training, the deepest diving can reach 30 meters, the team has become stronger little by little in actual combat training.
The Beijing Brigade of the National Water Rescue Team can be seen in flash floods after heavy rains in summer, in turbid fish ponds in autumn, and in cold lakes frozen in winter.
In the closed water, the firefighters dived again and again, and then floated up, holding up respect for life.
Ready at all the time
On October 26, light rain fell on the outskirts of Beijing, bringing the first cold snap before winter.
By the lake, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore was intertwined with the rustling of the autumn leaves stepping on his feet. The cold wind wrapped the lake's moisture and the scattered raindrops hit his face. Xue Shouchang couldn't help shrinking.
He was taking off his training suit and putting on a full set of diving gear.
The members of the Beijing Brigade of the National Water Rescue Team are conducting training in the water. For them, this weather is a good time for them.
"The depth meter is reset to zero, the pressure is 170 bar, and the due west is 90 degrees." Xue Shouchang was ready, the equipment safety officer took the triple meter in his hand and looked at it. After confirming that it was correct, he made a final inspection of the equipment. It's done, the bayonet connection is complete, and the belt is fastened!"
Hu Yazhuo took the one-meter-long diving buddy rope handed over by Xue Shouchang, and the buckle clicked, and the two were locked at both ends of the rescue rope.
For the next half hour underwater, they'll be a life-and-death pair.
In actual rescue operations, there may be huge dangers lurking in unknown waters. Undercurrents, rocks, iron hooks, fishing nets, sunken ships, and anything may pose a fatal threat to divers.
Therefore, rescue usually requires two divers to go into the water together so that they can rescue each other in the event of an accident.
Divers must carry at least 50 pounds each time they enter the water.
Hu Yazhuo was carrying a 30-pound 12-liter breathing gas cylinder on his back, and a lead block weighing more than 10 pounds was tied around his waist. The floating rope attached to his body was grabbed by Zheng Haiyang, a rope correspondent on the shore.
After making an "OK" gesture, they gradually left the shore and dived.
5 meters, 10 meters, 20 meters... The rope slipped out of Zheng Haiyang's palm. He stared at his teammate's head and disappeared into the water little by little. The rope in his hand was regularly held, twice, this is the diver's reminder His signal to "keep on the rope".
Ten minutes later, he felt that his teammates had almost reached the bottom of the water. Based on experience, Zheng Haiyang judged that the water depth was about 10 meters.
After finding the simulated target, the diver gave a rope signal, "ready to get out of the water", and the signalman tightened the rope in his hand.
The underwater movement is getting bigger and bigger, the bubbles rise from the bottom of the water, and the red floats flapping on the water surface keep swinging.
This is a routine training in a special environment. Rainy days, strong winds, and cooling will interfere with the visibility in the water and test the endurance of the team members.
After the winter, they will also conduct more severe winter diving training.
The so-called winter diving is when the natural waters freeze in winter, digging out the ice surface for diving activities.
When diving in winter, the team members put on special thermal underwear, and also used the method of keeping the baby warm to save their physical strength. However, in order to operate flexibly, the gloves they were equipped with were still very thin, and their fingers soon became less able to obey. When they came out of the water, they often As soon as he got out of the ice hole, the diving suit on his body was instantly covered with ice.
"It is hard work, but there is no way. Divers' bodies and equipment need to adapt to various harsh weather and complex environments," Xue Shouchang said. "After all, accidents never choose the day or location."
Cross the river by feeling the stones
The prototype of this "launchable" fire rescue team appeared in 2007.
At that time, the Xiwengzhuang Fire Rescue Station (formerly "Xiwengzhuang Squadron") of the Fire Rescue Detachment of Miyun District, Beijing had just been established for more than a year, and Liu Dong, the instructor at the time, was given a task, "Beijing must have a special water rescue force. ."
There are 14 large and small rivers and 4 large and medium-sized reservoirs in Miyun District. The vast waters not only ensure drinking water and irrigation in Beijing, but also bring abundant fish resources and tourism resources. However, dangerous waters also occur from time to time.
Around Xiwengzhuang Town, the rivers, lakes and reservoirs are relatively concentrated, and there are more than ten alarms related to water rescue every year.
It is for this reason that Xiwengzhuang Rescue Station undertakes the task of exploring from land rescue to underwater rescue.
At first, Liu Dong didn't think it was a difficult task. He was from Rushan, Shandong. He grew up by the seaside, and naturally knew how to use water. He wasn't very professional, but it was enough to guarantee that he would "not be submerged".
After receiving two sets of diving suits issued by the corps, several firefighters who could swim, including Xue Shouchang, were brought in to set up a water rescue team.
Completely crossing the river by feeling the stones.
After learning how to use the equipment from the salesperson of the diving suit manufacturer, they went into the water by themselves.
The practice takes place in the swimming pool, up to a depth of 3 meters.
The diving skills were also rough. Liu Dong found a documentary about the navy, "Following the Cat and Drawing the Tiger", and learned how to control the underwater ear pressure balance by opening and closing the diver's mouth.
Everyone was very courageous, and Liu Dong did what he taught.
At that time, Xue Shouchang was still a young man in his early 20s, and he had a lot of energy. He still remembered that when he encountered a problem, everyone waited for Liu Dong to find the answer on the Internet.
At that time, computers were not widely used, and there were only two computers in the entire rescue station. After Liu Dong found some "second-hand information", he "returned" to them, and the overall learning progress was very slow.
Zhao Qiang, who is currently the deputy chief of the combat training section of the Fire Rescue Detachment in Miyun District, is also a member of the water rescue team who joined the water rescue team in the early days.
Most of the time, either the depth of the waters where the incident occurred was complicated, and the situation at the scene could not be controlled and could not be rushed into the water, or the search and rescue skills were not strong enough to return without success.
In a closed underwater space, in addition to being oppressed by water pressure at a depth of more than ten meters, divers must always pay attention to unknown dangers and the only source of life on their backs - breathing cylinders, and also face close contact. The fear brought by drowning requires a high psychological endurance of the diver.
Zhao Qiang remembers that several times he used his "face" to find the drowning person.
The drowning person may get stuck on a rock, or float with the current, appear in a place that has just been touched, turn around, and be caught off guard.
In another police situation, his partner was a young firefighter. The two were groping underwater hand in hand. Suddenly, he felt a shiver from his teammates. "He must have touched a drowning person," he thought to himself.
Leaning along the other arm of his teammate, he confirmed his answer, "It's a kind of skin touch."
Fear is almost an instinctive reaction, but it is always replaced by responsibility.
The young firefighters quickly calmed down and salvaged the drowning man with Zhao Qiang.
"As firefighters, our task is to save people. No matter what the result is, we must do our best to search and give an explanation to the families on the shore."
Every dive, come ashore safely
No matter how many times he has experienced it, Xue Shouchang still dare not face the grief of his family.
He always remembered a family member who almost collapsed to the ground when he saw the drowning man who was salvaged ashore, but he still kept saying thank you.
Xue Shouchang didn't dare to stay, and left in a hurry by changing his clothes.
Zhao Qiang said that the more he saw it, the more "cowardly" he became.
"We thought that everything should give way to life, but nature doesn't 'reason', it has its laws."
Under water, rescuers are as vulnerable as drowning.
In one mission, one person fell into the water in a developed water area with a depth of three or four meters.
The scope of search and rescue is not large, but the survey found that there is a drainage outlet with a diameter of about 40 centimeters in the water that has been working all the time. Even the partner is difficult to rescue, I am afraid that there will be no life.
Xue Shouchang insisted on launching himself, and his rope correspondent at that time was Zheng Haiyang.
Zheng Haiyang is also a diver. Knowing the danger below, he is sweating while holding the floating rope in his palm.
According to the usual habits, the rope communicator will release a length of 1 to 2 meters each time after receiving the rope word from the diver to "release the rope".
But this time, he only put 50 centimeters at a time. Xue Shouchang, who was underwater, also felt his cautiousness and nervousness, and at the same time brought a sense of security.
Fortunately, the search and rescue went well, the drowning person was finally found, and Xue Shouchang came ashore safely.
In actual combat, the experience is gradually accumulated, and the team is becoming more and more professional.
After investing more in equipment and inviting professional diving instructors, they discovered that the training of various "wild ways" in the past almost put them in danger.
Liu Dong learned the method of controlling ear pressure balance from a documentary. Later, he learned that it is not necessary to wait until the ear hurts to do it once, but to do it after diving into the water. "The ear hurts, which means that the eardrum has been damaged."
Xue Shouchang recalled his past experience of launching search and rescue and felt that he was a bit stupid. As soon as he entered the water, he was busy sinking to the bottom, "Booming and falling on the mud, stepping on a 'mushroom cloud'. But in fact, excellent divers will not touch the bottom. , You have to descend slowly to grasp the underwater situation to ensure your own safety. I once inserted my arm into the mud, but I didn’t stick it all the way, and my face was poked into the mud, which is actually very dangerous.”
They didn't even know how to "decompress" on the ascent.
Zhao Qiang explained that due to the high underwater pressure during diving, a lot of nitrogen will be "pressed" into the body. Therefore, the speed must be slow during the ascent, and stay in the water for two or three minutes every few meters, so that the pressure gradually decreases. Release nitrogen slowly.
If it rises rapidly and the nitrogen gas is not released, it will form bubbles in the body tissue and blood, causing "decompression sickness", and even serious embolism, which is life-threatening.
The "hard-and-fast" approach doesn't apply in diving rescues, where they need to stay calm at all times.
According to Zhao Qiang, some artificial "accidents" were also added to the training, "For example, if the coach secretly turns off your gas cylinder valve, you have to take emergency measures to find your teammates for help, or let your inflation and exhaust valves come out. It's up to you if you can handle it yourself."
After receiving professional training, Zhao Qiang will no longer judge a diver's ability by "how deep he can dive", because he knows that for a diver, it is the most important thing for a diver to go ashore safely every time he dives.
Give life an explanation
Now, Liu Dong, Zhao Qiang, and Xue Shouchang have all become "veterans". After obtaining the qualifications of diving instructors, they have undertaken the task of training new divers for the water rescue team.
Together with this water rescue force, they have gone through 15 years from scratch.
In 2007, the Xiwengzhuang Water Rescue Team was established. In 2012, on the basis of the rescue team, the Miyun Fire Brigade Water Rescue Team was established. In 2019, based on this, the National Water Rescue Beijing Brigade was formed.
Liu Dong said that the Beijing Water Rescue Team currently has 40 members, mainly concentrated in the Xiwengzhuang rescue station, and many people are scattered in other rescue stations. Everyone has routine tasks such as fire disposal and mountain search and rescue on weekdays. Or they will be mobilized only when they need water rescue.
Among these 40 people, only 12 can be called "divers" at present, and there is still a long way to go in terms of equipment and technology.
In addition to diving, water rescue also has an important project - wading in rapids.
Different from diving and salvage, wading in rapids often occurs in the rainy season, when people are trapped in disasters such as flash floods and mudslides.
A heavy rainstorm in the summer of 2018 caused the danger of mountain torrents in Huairou and Miyun. All the roads on the winding mountain road collapsed. Many mountain villages near the river were flooded with water, and the old, young, women and children and some tourists who were too late to evacuate were trapped.
A severely damaged village in Miyun District has become an isolated island, and the torrent has flooded bridges and roads.
Pulling the rope to cross is the only way, provided that a person needs to wade alone to reach the other side of the river to fix the rope.
Zheng Haiyang took on the task of "taking the lead".
After taking safety precautions, he found the shallowest part of the river and groped for a step forward.
The water underfoot is turbulent, and once slipped, it will be swept away by flash floods, and the ten-meter-wide river is a heart-wrenching and long walk.
Everything went well, and the subsequent teammates dragged the rope he pulled across the river to help the villagers move.
Seeing that the villagers were safely transferred, Zheng Haiyang felt that the danger was worth it, and he was "very happy".
In June 2021, in order to further improve the rapids rescue technology, the Beijing Water Rescue Team made a special trip to Yunnan to study.
Three days after the study, they were ordered to rush to Henan and participated in the flood-fighting and disaster relief mission in Weihui City.
Having been a firefighter for 7 years, Zheng Haiyang never took the initiative to chat with his parents about his work.
Every time it is mentioned, it is also mentioned in an understatement, reporting good news but not bad news.
"Henan was flooded, we drove a kayak and transferred more than 3,000 people out. Isn't it amazing!" "Mom, I have learned new skills again, and can dive more than ten meters underwater."
And those dangers in the rescue, the depression when underwater, the fear and sadness of salvaging the victims, all need to be resolved by themselves, but next time, he and his comrades will plunge into the unknown waters.
"Because we are firefighters, we have to give life an account."
Beijing News reporter Zhang Jingshu