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Since the emergency management reform was introduced, the functions of the nation's comprehensive fire and rescue services have been expanded to cover all kinds of disasters. Can you tell us more about the characteristics of this function transformation? Thank you.

Qiong Se:

Thank you for your question. Our functions have been significantly expanded since the reform started. Our main duty used to be fire rescue in urban and rural areas, as well as extinguishing forest and grassland fires and saving people's lives. Now we are tasked with comprehensively responding to all forms of disasters. The total alarms we received have increased from 1.173 million in 2018 to 1.963 million in 2021, up 67.3 percent. The main characteristics are as follows:

First, putting the people and their lives first. We always heed the call of the Party and the people and fight in fields where the people need us most. Bearing the people's interests in mind, we are committed to putting their lives and safety front and center and implementing it in earnest. Since 2018, about 808,000 people have been rescued from various disasters and accidents and 2.2 million have been evacuated. 

Second, being combat-oriented. To better exercise our functions, we have optimized our teams and equipment systems and organized about 3,500 professional rescue teams that are adapted to multiple scenarios such as high buildings, the chemical industry, earthquakes, mountains, bodies of water, and freezing hazards. Around 9,800 special firefighting vehicles and fireboats, 2.96 million personal protective equipment, and 1.64 million emergency rescue equipment were newly added, and another 160 warehouses were built for disaster relief material reserves.

Third, maintaining a combat readiness. To build up first-class fighting capacity, we have been in a state of preparedness around the clock and are on high alert and ready for a quick response. We have actively organized exercises involving all personnel and held a ministerial-provincial earthquake relief drill named "Mission of Emergency Rescue" for two consecutive years, aiming to improve our professional response and enhance our capacity to deal with major earthquakes and catastrophes. 

Fourth, upholding scientific command. We have improved the authoritative and efficient national emergency response command and joint coordination mechanism and framed an "all-in-one map" featuring smart command over fire and rescue efforts. We have organized 12 large-scale and trans-regional reinforcements and pooled strengths to coordinate and cope with major disasters and accidents such as the floods that ravaged northern and southern China in 2020, the torrential rain that caused havoc in Zhengzhou on July 20, 2021, and the collapse of a self-built building in Changsha on April 29, 2022, as well as the recent forest fires raging in Chongqing, fully demonstrating the new advantages of our new system of emergency management and fire rescue.

The practice has demonstrated that decisions made by General Secretary Xi Jinping and the CPC Central Committee on reforming emergency management and the national comprehensive firefighting and rescue team are very wise. We will faithfully implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, keep in mind his expectations, and resolutely ensure that we are ready for and can win in any task, saving people from disasters, assisting them when they are in danger, and giving them strength. We will always fight in places where the people need us most and be the loyal guards of the Party and the people forever. Thank you. 

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