Rescue team leader: saving lives is sacred mission

Liu said that among the 9 miners who were rescued, he personally carried the second, third, fifth and ninth out of the pit. While he was carrying them, when some told Liu that they drank some of the water that had seeped into the tunnel, he would thoughtfully tell them, "You'd better not drink the water because it is corrosive." If a miner's eyeshade was loose, Liu would help him readjust it. 　

"We wore these orange clothes because we hope to lighten the tunnel and help the trapped workers see us," said Liu. 　　

I would still choose to do what I do if given another chance

There are some young people recently recruited into the rescue team and most of them are between 20 and 25 years old. These days, they had been working day and night and have not even had time to wash their faces and feet and their clothes all were covered with mud. Every week, Chen would impart his experience on these young people. "I told them to make a plan before rescuing people and at the same time, they must not ignore their own safety," said Chen. Besides the physical exercise every day, Chen often reminds his team members that they must top up the oxygen in their respirator. "We had a colleague who was poisoned because his respirator had a problem and he only lived for another year." When Chen said this, he quickly wiped his eyes.

Chen Yongsheng has a unique training methodology for young team members. In case of an accident, he will go to the rescue scene with young team members. He lets them stand by and watch when veteran members handle the victims’ corpses. "I will not let them touch corpses until next time. Finally, I will let them directly carry corpses and this way they will build up their courage."

In fact, rescuers encounter dangers frequently. Chen Yongsheng was once knocked down by a collapsing wall while participating in a rescue operation in a coalmine. "We built an enclosure wall in order to contain the fire. However, the wall collapsed before we were able to escape and we therefore were hit by it."

No matter how dangerous the situations are, Chen Yongsheng believes that their loving heart can help them to cope with any challenge. He received a message during the interview, saying: "I have seen you rescuing coal miners at Wangjialing on television. You work so hard. Please take care of your own health. Come on!" "He is one of my friends from Sichuan. We once worked together in Wenchuan. These days I receive many messages like this," said Chen. "Some people called us Boddhisattvas during a rescue." People saved by Chen often come over to see Chen, expressing their gratitude.

Currently, Chen's son also works as a driver for the rescue team. "As a member of our team, my son is able to drive and do other support work. He served as the cook of the team during a rescue operation in Wenchuan. There are several father-son pairs on our team." Chen added: "I will retire in a few years, so I hope to pass on my experience to the younger team members. If I had to do it all over again, I would still work as a rescuer. I love this profession and lifting others out of danger is always a good deed."