The Ministry of Emergency Management plans to recruit more
college-educated members for its fire and rescue team as part of efforts
to enhance the country's disaster relief capabilities, officials said. The ministry had planned to recruit 3,000 college graduates this
year. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and inadequate
publicity, however, many graduates failed to participate in the national
civil service exam interviews-originally scheduled earlier this year
and a prerequisite for qualification. The ministry only managed to
recruit just over 900 graduates for the team, Zhang Fusheng, its deputy
head of fire services, told a news conference organized by the State
Council Information Office on Thursday. Zhang said the team plans to recruit another 2,800 fresh university
graduates next year to meet a serious need for replenishment of talent.
This year, over 33,000 graduates are expected to participate in the
national civil service exam-the written portion of which will be held on
Nov 29-in hopes of landing a spot on the team. The ministry has introduced a series of policies to attract university graduates to the team, Zhang said. The upper age limit for candidates can be raised to 26 from 24 if
they have a bachelor's degree or higher. With two years' front-line
experience, such graduates will be qualified to take part in a special
exam organized by the ministry. If they pass it, they will be promoted
to officers, he said. Last year, 185 graduates were promoted, and the ministry plans to promote another 200 in the coming year, he said. The ministry has also intensified training for rescuers. Over 1,700
firefighters were sent to the China Fire and Rescue Institute for
training last year. They will be promoted to officers after they
graduate, Zhang said. He added that over 217,000 firefighters also took part in various
rescue training sessions last year, including ones dealing with
earthquakes and disasters on mountains and in water. Chinese firefighters-once part of the armed forest police units
responsible for forest fire control or under public security authorities
for other fire disasters-were previously recruited under the Military
Service Law and managed as soldiers. They were shifted to the
jurisdiction of the Ministry of Emergency Management after it was
established in March 2018. The new ministry was tasked with integrating China's scattered
disaster-relief resources to cope with frequent natural disasters and
accidents. On Nov 9 that year, President Xi Jinping conferred the national fire
and rescue team flag to the new team, ordering members to be loyal to
the Party, disciplined and devoted to the people. The ministry said the team has participated in 2.6 million rescue
missions since it was established and has saved and evacuated more than
1.2 million people involved in disasters.
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