Fires, traffic accidents, elevator accidents… wherever people are in danger, there are firefighters and rescue workers ready to rush to the front lines.
At 11:30 PM on September 12, 2023, the alarm sounded at the Fire Prevention, Fighting, and Rescue Team of Thanh Xuan District Police ( Hanoi ).
The officers and soldiers of the mobile team had 90 seconds to rush to their vehicles and leave the unit. At 11:35 PM, the fire trucks arrived at the scene of the fire at the 29/70 Khuong Ha mini-apartment building.
For Nguyen Quoc Trung and Nguyen Huu Nam, this mission left them with unforgettable memories.
Quoc Trung recounted: “From afar, we could see a thick column of black smoke in the sky. Upon arrival, we were met with a narrow alleyway several hundred meters deep. Immediately, the team deployed, pulling in the water hoses. Knowing that people were trapped inside, the team members' spirits soared, hoping to rescue them as quickly as possible.”
However, the scene before them left the young soldiers bewildered: A raging fire engulfed the multi-story building, its walls made of glass on three sides. The fire originated in the basement, connecting to the first floor and hundreds of vehicles of all kinds. The entire building was like a furnace. The only question in their minds was: "What is the quickest way to extinguish the fire?"
Quoc Trung recalled the chaotic scene: Above, there were cries for help, while below, people were anxious but could only try to dissuade others: "Stop jumping," because of the danger of falling from the high floors. "Many people wanted to rush in to save their loved ones inside, forcing us to stop them. Everyone wanted to go in and save people, but until the terrain and safety plan were determined, no one was allowed to risk their lives," Quoc Trung shared.
The young soldier's eyes welled up with tears: "The most painful thing was hearing the sounds of flesh and bone cracking as those trapped, unable to bear the smoke and flames, risked their lives jumping from high places. The first person to jump was a woman; after landing, half of her body was paralyzed. She tried to open her remaining eye to look at us. After three seconds of near immobility due to the sudden incident, I was finally able to regain my composure and, together with my teammates, move her away from the fire. At the same time, we asked the locals to call her relatives upstairs to advise them not to take similar negative actions."
As soon as one person was moved away, two more jumped down. Immediately afterward, a child, about 4-5 years old, also tried to escape in a similar manner. "Seeing the small body hit the ground covered in blood, I was extremely traumatized," Quoc Trung said, unable to hold back his tears.
For Nguyen Huu Nam, he will never forget that difficult night of fighting the fire. Initially, the firefighting team deployed hoses to bring water to the scene. However, because it was a garage, there was a lot of gasoline, oil, and electricity, so the team quickly switched to spraying foam. After a while, the fire subsided, and the firefighting team advanced further inside.
Unexpectedly, an obstruction on the staircase forced the team to retreat. At the same time, the fire flared up again intensely. The fourth floor also caught fire and burned fiercely. Soon after, reinforcements arrived and deployed foam spraying on both floors, combined with cooling sprays at the back of the building, to rescue people trapped on the upper floors.
“The fire was so big, the protective gear wasn't enough, so all we could do was spray water on ourselves to cool down and climb in from the back. Our hands and feet were burning from contact with the walls and equipment. The heat was still radiating in, fogging up our protective glasses. The atmosphere was chaotic and dangerous, but at that moment, there was no time to be afraid; we only thought about how to save as many people as possible. Even though we were tired, we encouraged ourselves to keep going, keep trying to save more and more people,” Huu Nam shared.
And so, the firefighters took turns rushing into the blaze. After fighting the fire, Quoc Trung was hospitalized due to smoke inhalation and still suffers from persistent coughing at night. He shared: “Any firefighter in that situation would have acted like me. Everyone threw themselves into the fight; it's just that I was injured and had to go first. I regret not being able to stay and save more people.”
Returning to their unit after completing the mission, everyone was exhausted. But physical wounds would heal; only the psychological trauma would haunt the soldiers' minds for a long time. Every scream, every pleading glance, and even the lifeless bodies they carried out with their own hands became unforgettable memories.
After every fire and explosion incident, the strength that allows firefighters to overcome the terrifying fear and danger lies in the lives they have saved. "When victims are brought out of the scene still breathing, with their eyes open and able to hear us, that's the ultimate happiness," Quoc Trung confided. "For every person we save, we feel incredibly lucky to have arrived just in time. That's the motivation for us to continue rushing into the fire, searching for and saving more people," Huu Nam shared.
Firefighters are still affectionately called "heroes" by the people. They embody a spirit of readiness to fight, of bravery and selflessness. For them, even in peacetime, fierce battles still take place. Each time the alarm sounds, the firefighters face danger, racing against time, fighting for the lives of civilians and their own, and those of their comrades.
Beyond extinguishing fires, other support tasks such as elevator malfunctions, drowning incidents, and traffic accidents—incidents that go unnoticed and unpraised—are also the responsibility of firefighters and rescue personnel. Whenever citizens are in danger, firefighters and rescue workers rush to the front lines. Their unwavering perseverance and dedication have made them true heroes.
In Hanoi, in early October 2023, at the foot of the "People's Police Serving the People" monument, people quietly arranged bouquets of fresh flowers as a tribute to the three Hanoi Fire and Rescue Police officers who sacrificed their lives while on duty. Everyone was choked with emotion as they recalled the devastating fire at a karaoke bar in Cau Giay district on August 1, 2022. At the scene of the fire, Lieutenant Colonel Dang Anh Quan, Senior Lieutenant Do Duc Viet, and Sergeant Nguyen Dinh Phuc, officers and soldiers of the Fire and Rescue Police Team of Cau Giay District Police (Hanoi City Police), risked their lives to guide eight people to safety from the smoke and flames. Upon returning to the scene to continue searching for trapped people, building materials collapsed onto the stairwell, causing the deaths of all three officers. Just a few hours earlier, they had successfully rescued two other people from a nearby fire.
These brave men sacrificed their lives, leaving behind sorrow and admiration in the hearts of the entire nation. Along with Lieutenant Colonel Dang Anh Quan, Senior Lieutenant Do Duc Viet, and Sergeant Nguyen Dinh Phuc, the selfless bravery of many firefighters and rescue workers will forever be remembered by the people. These include Captain Pham Phi Long ( Ho Chi Minh City Police) who died in a house fire in Binh Tan District on September 7, 2017; Lieutenant Bui Minh Quy (Gia Lai Provincial Police) who was swept away by floods while rescuing people trapped in An Khe town on March 3, 2018... and many other martyrs who fell for the peace and safety of the people. Facing the boundary between life and death, firefighters never have a choice but to follow the orders of their hearts and their courage. Each fallen soldier is a loss for the entire force. Therefore, the heartfelt words of Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Dung - Deputy Team Leader of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team - Thanh Xuan District Police become even more poignant: "We strive our best to protect the people, and to protect each other, reminding each other to go and return safely, without anyone being left behind."
Becoming heroes to countless people, but when they return to ordinary life, firefighters are just ordinary young men with their own worries. Some choose to keep their duty days secret to avoid worrying their families; others don't dare think about finding a partner because they understand that being the support system for a firefighter requires much more courage.
Quoc Trung shyly shared: "Due to the nature of my job, which involves constant on-call duty and unexpected missions with constant danger lurking, I rarely think about my personal happiness. Many times I want to spend time caring for my significant other, but circumstances don't allow it."
This very ordinary moment of confusion for the firefighter moved us even more. The hero in the raging fire had risked his life for others, forgetting about himself and his personal happiness. It seems that for them, there is a different kind of happiness: the happiness of someone who carries the mission of preserving peace for every home.
Text, photos, and video: Le Phu - Phuong Mai
04/10/2023 05:49
Baotintuc.vn
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