How would you react if 50 kg of heavy objects were to fall from a nearly 20-meter high, six-story roof right in front of you? On one occasion, when a woman upstairs was about to jump, 24-year-old Corporal Chen Zhang Liang from the Chuxiong Battalion of the Yunnan Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture Fire Brigade not only didn't escape but stepped forward. He used his thin shoulders to bear an extraordinary weight and saved the life of the suicidal woman, though he himself was seriously injured.
At 16 minutes past February 22, the alarm at the Chuxiong fire station suddenly rang: A woman in the Chestnut Park District of Deer Town in the city was attempting to jump, and the situation was critical. Fourteen soldiers who were participating in business training immediately started, including Chen Zhang Liang, who wasn't on duty but actively requested to join and quickly got on the vehicle. When the firefighters arrived at the scene, a crowd had already gathered around, and the police had drawn up a cordon.
A middle-aged woman stood on the edge of a residential building's roof, with nearly half of the fence at her feet vacant. She was emotionally speaking behind someone trying to persuade her. The firefighters were immediately divided into two groups; one group was responsible for fortification on the ground, while another group rushed upstairs quickly to persuade and save the woman. Chen Zhang Liang and his comrades kicked the ambulance facilities erected on the ground. However, below the floor where the woman stood, there was a roughly 50 cm high cement bucket in the corner, without any conditions for laying down a life-saving cushion. Soldiers immediately borrowed two quilts, and Chen Zhang Liang, along with three comrades, grabbed the corners of the quilt in their arms to stretch it open, ready to catch the woman jumping out of the window. All this was completed in less than 23 minutes.
The second group of soldiers had just rushed to the roof when the body of the suicidal woman began shaking. Her feet slipped, and she wanted to grab the fence but failed. The soldiers downstairs and Chen Zhang Liang tensely held the quilt, replaying that thrilling scene in their minds. He recalled: "The waist of the rushing woman hit me, and we suddenly fell to the ground together." Diagnosed as having been hit by the force of the woman’s fall, Chen Zhang Liang was able to buffer the impact, resulting in serious injuries but no life-threatening condition.
Chen Zhang Liang suffered a right acetabular avulsion fracture, cervical section II split fold, multiple soft tissue contusions on the right side, forehead, and scalp hematoma. Deputy Director Jiang Changhai of Chuxiong People's Hospital said, "Fortunately, the cervical spine was not hit." On February 24, 2009, Chen Zhang Liang, lying in bed, began to be able to drink gruel.
Chen Zhang Liang, from Xingyi, spoke in a weak voice, saying his first sentence: "Not very good, my parents are working away from home, my life is frugal, rarely leaving the camp to play or shop." As a soldier in the first year, his annual allowance was only 3,000 yuan, and he sent 2,000 yuan to his parents. After the third year, when he became a non-commissioned officer, his allowances increased, but his standard of living did not improve. In the first two months, he sent 5,000 yuan home. Later, considering his family's situation, the squadron cadres persuaded him to donate a little less, but he said: "No, help these children more."
In the action of demolishing dilapidated buildings, Chen Zhang Liang fought at the front line, rescuing for dozens of hours a day, sweat and mud soaking his body, with nails piercing the hands and feet room pillars, but he remained silent all the time. After the rescue ended, Chen Zhang Liang was awarded a third-class individual commendation.
He also served as the brigade's task of search and rescue dog discipline. Comrade Tao said, "These days, missing the master, never barracks Zhipeng eyes this Heiyou lean young man says very much, it is solemn silence, but it is good?"
Many people in Chuxiong heard the heroic deeds of Chen Zhang Liang and flocked to the hospital to visit. One teacher from Chuxiong named Mary said: "Saving a life is like saving the whole world."