The Taichung Fire Bureau commemorated Firefighter’s Day on Friday by releasing a short documentary, Firefighters: Anonymous Heroes Who Protect the People (Firefighters: 守護人民的無名英雄), that portrays firefighters at work and the dangers they face.
The four-minute documentary was put together by Lai Yu-no (賴禹諾), a Feng Chia University graduate who volunteered to serve with the bureau during his mandatory military service because he wanted to experience a different lifestyle.
The documentary opens with an aerial shot of an ambulance speeding through the streets of Taichung at night. Scenes of fire engines and firefighters arriving at incidents and fighting fires are then shown.
Fire footage from last year includes a blaze caused by a ruptured gas pipeline and a gas explosion in the Fongjia Commercial District (逢甲商圈) in July.
The film ends with a child handing food to a firefighter resting near the scene of a blaze.
A friend of Lai’s, Po Yi (柏邑), composed the title song, Firefighters.
Lai, who expects to be discharged in March, said the past 10 months have given him a newfound appreciation and respect for firefighting.
During the Fongjia gas explosion incident, he saw determination and perseverance in the eyes of heavily clad firefighters as they entered the scene of the fire wearing oxygen tanks on their backs, Lai said.
You did not see a hint of fear or cowardice, he said.
Every profession has its dao (道) — a set of operating principles and rules, the dao of firefighters is like Japan’s bushido — the warrior’s way of life, he said.
When two parties are in a confrontation, a single moment determines life or death, and firefighting can be just like that, he said.
Firefighters must be very familiar with all firefighting and search and rescues methods, and must make decisions based on instincts and training, Lai said.
Going into battle, firefighters are direct and unreserved, but once the danger has passed, they can be warm and friendly, he said.
Lai on Tuesday last week was given an award by the Taichung City Government for being an outstanding substitute service conscript.
Just as firefighters always rush toward danger to protect the safety of residents, the city government will fulfill its responsibilities and be firefighters’ strongest supporters, Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) wrote on Facebook.
We will not let the firefighters face dangerous circumstances empty-handed, Lin said.
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