On March 4, East China University of Science and Technology formed Shanghai's first foreign student firefighting volunteer team, one day before the 23rd China Youth Volunteer Service Day on March 5, which honors the late Chinese soldier Lei Feng, who dedicated his life to assisting others.
The team consists of international students from such countries as Yemen, Algeria, Turkmenistan, Ghana, Iraq and Bangladesh.
The crew took part in firefighting skills training in Xuhui district in Shanghai on March 4. Guided by firefighters, volunteers learned how to use the fire hoses and fire extinguishers.
A PhD student majoring in materials science is one of the overseas students. A firefighter, in her opinion, is an extremely risky job because firefighters are constantly confronted with fires. She said that she had acquired certain firefighting skills in her home country, but the day of her training was the first time she had used a fire hose and had gone through water training.
She also stated that as part of their daily studies, they will conduct some chemical experiments, and some chemicals are extremely flammable, so as a firefighting volunteer, she will teach other students about firefighting while also strengthening the fire safety inspection of their chemical laboratory.
An international student from Turkmenistan speaks Chinese fluently, and he has taught other students about fire safety while learning about it himself. He stated that he will share more about fire safety information in order to increase foreigners' awareness, participation, and acknowledgment of fire safety.
