After Being Reborn, I became a firefighter again?

Chapter 709: Chapter 484 The Night’s Watch_2

Wang Peng was startled for a moment, then his face broke into an excited smile for the first time.

"Alrighty!"

Having said that, he bounced his way toward the pickup truck.

It was only then that Fang Huai walked up the field ridge, to where Cao Yi was.

An ordinary type of fire alarm, besides burning fiercely, was nothing special. The only problem was that the road wasn’t very good, and it was far from the main road. The water hoses carried on the vehicle were limited to 80 meters, which meant they could only lay one main line with two hoses to maintain the pressure and fight a war of attrition.

However, Fang Huai saw an elderly couple sitting nearby, sighing in dismay, while a group of people were scolding them for their carelessness. He felt it was important to clarify the cause of the fire to prevent any problems with assigning responsibilities later.

He approached the group of villagers and quickly ascertained the situation.

The fire was caused by a stove in one of the homes that had just been stoked into a blazing fire, and a cloth sofa that had been acquired from the city.

The sofa had been brought in the summer and had always been placed beside the stove. One corner was quite close to the stove, but because it wasn’t used all summer, the couple had forgotten about it when they lit the stove and went to visit neighbors. By the time they were called back, the flames were already sky-high.

Remembering this only led them to beat their chests and weep bitterly.

Seeing both individuals appeared to be honest and were explaining the cause of the fire in great detail without denying anything, and their anxious weeping, Fang Huai sighed and headed back down to the fire truck.

As he walked, he picked up the two-way radio and said:

"Has someone brought my combat uniform?"

"Captain Fang, it’s been put on Car 1!"

"Good, I’ll grab three more 65 hoses and add another hose. Later on, increase the pressure on the truck."

"Captain Fang, we are already at high pressure for long-distance water supply. If we increase it more, the main hose might disconnect."

"Then let’s reconnect it if it disconnects. The old couple is quite pitiable. The sooner the fire is out, the less they’ll have to compensate. Everyone, be careful, and save the belongings inside the houses if you can."

"Got it."

"Received!"

From up the hill came the voices of the comrades.

"Gun 1, reduce the pressure, get closer and aim!"

The outcome of a fire incident can be very different depending on how the firefighters handle it.

At the same fire source, the choice to either circumvent and precisely target the fire, or to directly break through and cover the source from outside the wall with a large volume of water, results in completely different levels of damage.

Fang Huai’s comment to "be careful with your movements" might add a little time to the fire handling, but it could save the elderly couple some compensation fees.

When Fang Huai climbed the slope in his combat uniform, some of the extra hands were already put to use, moving electrical appliances out from a side room that was emitting wisps of smoke after being doused with water.

Wang Peng didn’t let Yu Ming go in, but had him tidy up the things that were being moved out and keep watch.

The young man seemed very excited. It was obviously his first time participating in such a people-serving activity. His eyes shone as he watched the firefighters’ silhouettes continually extinguish the flames, completely different from when he arrived.

Firefighting work has its magic. As long as one isn’t numb, seeing a disaster scene and reflecting on one’s own existence can easily inspire a commitment to a great cause.

As soon as Fang Huai connected the third hose, he started attacking from the side room where the fire was less intense, carefully avoiding wetting the dried cobs hanging from the beams, spraying towards the direction of the thick smoke until he stirred up some green smoke and found the fire source, then he covered it more extensively.

In these breezy rural tile houses, the smoke theory he had developed at the Military Academy wasn’t very applicable, and he couldn’t display much technique. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

But there were advantages too. Rural homes have courtyards, open surroundings, and low buildings. The source of the fire was clear. With just a glance at the scene, tactics like blocking, breaking through, or segmenting were easy to choose from. With a veteran like Cao Yi around, it was nearly impossible to make a mistake, and this was the reason Fang Huai was not rushing over.

On closer thought, the Second Squadron was very well-rounded. Every cadre was capable of handling a big fire on their own.

But the issue was... the vehicle configuration...

Fang Huai turned his head back to Zhang Yang, who was carrying the hose, and said:

"Tell the water supply truck, with a burnt area this large, one tank of water definitely won’t be enough! There’s a hydrant a kilometer out from the south gate on the main road. Tell them to watch the water level and refill as soon as it’s necessary!"

Zhang Yang nodded, "Don’t worry! I’m following with 13 tons. Squad Leader Sun and I already checked it on the way here!"

On hearing this, Fang Huai smiled, "Okay, go let the full-time team members come help with the hoses if they’re free."

"Sure!"

...

The fire was extinguished, the house cooled down, from just past eight to eleven o’clock.

The firelight slowly disappeared, replaced by flashlights and the lighting rigs of Car No.2 in the distance.

The noisy sound of water was also replaced by voices.

"Guns 1 and 3 can be withdrawn! Gun 2, sweep the outside of the middle house, and the full-time team follows inside with two flashlights!"

"Captain Fang, where’s the flashlight you were using just now?"

"I gave it to Liu Jianfeng!"

"Who’s got a cigarette on them? The damn pack in my pocket is completely wet!"

Fang Huai, in front of the house where the fire started, opened his combat uniform and took out a slightly sweat-soaked pack of soft China cigarettes from his camouflage uniform pocket and shook it.

"Here."

Kong Xiangzhong jogged over, took it, and pulled out one.

"Wow! Captain Fang, you brought cigarettes? Don’t you not smoke?"

Fang Huai did not withdraw his hand but shook it again.

"Just hand it out. It was for conscription connections, not needed anymore."

"Tsk, tsk." Kong Xiangzhong touched the cigarette pack and said, "You’re really awesome. You handled the hose for two hours, and this soft pack barely got wet?"

Fang Huai grinned, "That’s called skill! Learn from it!" frёewebηovel.cѳm

Kong Xiangzhong chuckled and shouted to those around, "Chief Fang is handing out cigarettes! Soft China, come and get them!"