Prolific rescue worker earns 'Role Model' title

In the past 38 years, Xiao Wenru has led or participated in 700 rescue missions, from which about 1,000 people trapped in mines, collapsed mountain areas and tunnels were saved.

Xiao was awarded the title "Role Model of the Times" by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Wednesday.

Xiao, deputy director and chief engineer of the National Work Safety Emergency Rescue Center under the Ministry of Emergency Management, cheated death four times after surviving explosions in coal mines.

For example, in the 1990s, during a rescue with his team in Datong, Shanxi province, Xiao was caught in a blast caused by the spontaneous combustion of coal powder.

Fortunately, he was aware of the possibility of such a blast and had already been lying on the ground when it happened.

"I did not panic. I continued putting out the fire with a water gun because I knew that the amount of oxygen in the mine was limited, so the conditions were favorable for me to quell the fire. If I had stopped doing so, I might have died," the 59-year-old said.

"It is human nature to run for your life, but our job is to run toward danger, not away from it. It's all worth it when we pull people back from the brink of death."

In 1983, Xiao graduated from a coal mine technical school in Datong, after which he was assigned to work with what was then the Datong mining bureau's rescue team.

Four years into his service, one of his teammates died, making him even more aware of the risks that come with his job.

During a rescue amid a fire in a coal mine, the teammate got lost in the mine. He rushed into the darkness to find a way out, but his oxygen respirator was knocked off, causing him to suffocate.

A year later, Xiao's older brother, a police officer, died in the line of duty at the age of 29. The death led Xiao's mother to ask him to quit the team, because she said his job was a life-threatening one.

"There were moments when I considered leaving my job, until I was involved in a rescue that impressed me 30 years ago in Datong," Xiao said.

On that mission, as soon as Xiao emerged from a coal mine fire, a woman in her 80s knelt in front of him and thanked him for saving her son, who had been caught in the blaze.

"I was really impressed by her action. At that moment, I realized how great my job is. Nothing can bring the same happiness as that you receive from saving people's lives."

In 2004, Xiao was assigned to the then state administration of work safety, which was reorganized into the Ministry of Emergency Management in 2018. Since then, he has been dealing with emergency situations across the country.

"Accidents are like devils, but by dealing with them, I have accumulated experience and improved my abilities," Xiao said.

Ouyang Qi, one of Xiao's colleagues, said: "Xiao is so courageous. Despite his leadership position, he always takes part in emergency rescues and goes down into coal mines to survey the situations. He insists on getting firsthand information to make rescue plans."

Over the years, Xiao has organized his emergency rescue experience into books and regulations, including those related to mine rescue training and treatment measures for those involved in mine accidents.

"Emergency rescuers always leave the danger to themselves and bring safety to others," Xiao said.

Xiao participates in rescue efforts more than 100 days a year on average. He keeps a suitcase filled with clothes and toiletries at home in case he needs to take an emergency trip.

"In order not to make my family worry, I often lie to them and say that I am going on a business trip instead of a rescue mission," he said. But sometimes, his family still learns the truth by watching the news on television, during which they occasionally see him working at a rescue scene.

Though he is older and the danger is high, Xiao said he isn't shy about working on the front line of a rescue mission. He said he is more experienced, and if he is at the scene, young rescuers will feel more confident.