Fire and rescue authority inaugurated

The National Fire and Rescue Administration was formally inaugurated in Beijing on Friday, and Wang Xiangxi, minister of emergency management, has been appointed as its first political commissar, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

Chongsai, former director of the ministry's fire and rescue department, now works as director of the new government body. Like many members of the Tibetan ethnic group, Chongsai only uses one name.

Xu Ping, former director of the ministry's forest fire service department, has been nominated as the administration's political commissar.

The inauguration of the National Fire and Rescue Administration is a "milestone" for the sector of fire control and rescue in China, the administration said on its account on Sina Weibo microblogging platform on Friday.

The fire and rescue teams will work "wholeheartedly for the people" to safeguard their safety and the stability of the country, it noted.

Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong urged efforts to improve the capabilities of fire and rescue teams to better safeguard people's lives and property, as he attended the opening ceremony of the administration.

The establishment of the administration is a major initiative of the country to improve its emergency management system and beef up its capabilities in coping with natural disasters and accidents, he stressed.

He demanded consistent efforts to make the fire and rescue team strong with strict discipline and a commitment to public interests. One of the priorities is to ramp up its abilities to deal with different types of disasters and strengthen its expertise in disaster relief, he said.

Before the country's latest institutional reshuffle in 2018, firefighters came under the administration of the Ministry of Public Security. There were also firefighters dedicated to forest fire control with the Chinese People's Armed Police Force.

As part of the reshuffle, 13 responsibilities from 11 government bodies, mostly related to disaster relief, were shifted to the newly established Ministry of Emergency Management, including fire control. All firefighters in the country, which stood at about 200,000 back then, were transferred to the new ministry.

Recruitment of firefighters had been changed in 2019. Previously, firefighters were recruited under the Military Service Law and were managed as soldiers. They could enroll to serve from age 18 to 22.

The 2019 recruitment rule has lifted the age limit of new firefighters to 24. It also specified that only senior high school graduates or people with higher educational backgrounds could become firefighters.