At 6 o'clock in the morning on November 18th, just as dawn was breaking, 42-year-old Yin Weizeng set out with six firemen to jog along the main road of the town. Half an hour later, they returned to the fire station for washing up and breakfast. As long as he is not away, he leads the team in jogging every morning. The Yin Weizeng before the reporter's eyes: 170 cm tall, a crew cut, wearing glasses, and with a loud voice characteristic of people from Northeast China.
In March 2002, Yin Weizeng established the Dehui Volunteer Fire Brigade. The number of members has grown from three initially to seven now, all young men in their early twenties except for him.
Yin Weizeng's volunteer fire brigade is located on one side of the two-story building on the main road of Chaliukou Town in Dehui City under the jurisdiction of Jilin Changchun. Yin Weizeng's family and the six firemen all live in this two-story building. In front of the building is an open yard covering 1800 square meters where three fire trucks are parked, along with more than 30 chickens and a large goose, presenting a typical rural scene. Adjacent to the roadside is the gas station operated by Yin Weizeng.
In February 2002, while driving a tanker truck to deliver oil to Chaliukou Village in Chaliukou Town, Yin Weizeng saw a villager's three straw-roofed houses on fire. Bystanders were too afraid to step forward and help extinguish the fire. Hearing the heart-wrenching cries of the female homeowner, Yin Weizeng felt a pang of sorrow: "If my 8-ton capacity tanker truck was filled with water instead of oil, it could have been used to help put out the fire." In rural areas, houses and land are the "lifelines" of farmers. As locals say, "fire can make one poor overnight." Witnessing this scene, Yin Weizeng conceived the idea of providing free firefighting services for the villagers.
During dinner that day, he tentatively mentioned his idea to his wife. "Our living conditions have just improved, volunteer firefighting costs money and is dangerous. Doing a few good deeds isn't hard, but can you keep it up?" His wife Yang Junhua strongly opposed the idea. But Yin Weizeng is stubborn; once he sets his mind on something, he will definitely go through with it.
On March 16, 2002, Yin Weizeng acquired his first fire truck and founded the Dehui Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Yin Weizeng's volunteer fire brigade serves over 220,000 people across 51 administrative villages in four towns: Chaoyang Township, Wutai Township, Chaliukou Town, and Dafangshen Town in Dehui City. Within this area, there are 56 factories including chicken farms and rice processing plants. Villagers typically store hay stacks and firewood near their homes, and during festivals, they enjoy setting off fireworks, leading to many potential fire hazards. If a fire breaks out, it would take at least an hour for the fire trucks from the Dehui Public Security Fire Brigade to reach each town, and by the time the firefighters arrive, "it would be too late for everything." "With Yin Weizeng's volunteer fire brigade, the villagers in nearby towns feel reassured," said a villager who had received free firefighting services from Yin Weizeng.
To promptly arrive at fire locations, one must be familiar with the roads in each village. In 2004, Yin Weizeng and his team spent two months traveling across 51 administrative villages in the four towns, drawing up three fire maps. Villages with water sources were marked with simple fish-shaped symbols, and the fastest routes were drawn in red single lines. These maps were carried during every mission.
Yin Weizeng also applied for a landline phone number ending in 119, which he placed by his bedside. He printed his address, landline, and mobile phone numbers on business cards, handed them over to the police chief of the town, and asked the officers to distribute them to the villagers while on duty.
A month after the establishment of the fire brigade, Yin Weizeng received his first firefighting task: Four connected hay stacks in Nanchangou Village of Chaliukou Town were on fire, with strong winds threatening the surrounding houses.
Upon receiving the call, Yin Weizeng set off with two firemen within two minutes.
For the first mission, they wore regular clothes without any protective measures, and were unfamiliar with deploying water hoses and operating the water gun, taking great effort to finally extinguish the fire.
Although they were "amateurs", mastering firefighting skills was essential. Afterwards, Yin Weizeng approached the Dehui Public Security Fire Brigade, which arranged professional training for his firefighters and provided support in equipment. Whenever there were trainings at the fire brigade, Yin Weizeng and his team were often invited to participate. With both training and practical experience, Yin Weizeng and his team have now become adept at firefighting.
As of November 18, 2011, Yin Weizeng's volunteer fire brigade had extinguished 928 fires, with a personal investment totaling over 2.6 million yuan.
Yin Weizeng comes from a large family and grew up in poverty. His father developed severe mental illness at the age of 35, leaving his mother to raise the children alone. At their poorest, the entire family subsisted solely on potatoes. Yin Weizeng vividly remembers when neighbors brought rice and flour during times of hunger. Having experienced hardship and being helped himself, Yin Weizeng harbored a wish: to give back to society once things improved.
Since the establishment of the volunteer fire brigade nearly ten years ago, neither Yin Weizeng nor his team has suffered serious injuries. Yin Weizeng says, "Doing good deeds frequently brings good luck." His gas station business has also been thriving, generating annual income between 300,000 to 500,000 yuan, enough to "sustain the fire brigade."
In early November, Yin Weizeng was awarded the title of "Advanced Individual Enthusiastic about Fire Public Welfare" by the Ministry of Public Security, receiving a reward of 300,000 yuan. Yin Weizeng directly transferred the bonus to the account of the Jilin Fire Corps, planning to purchase a more advanced fire truck with the assistance of the corps.
When traveling to Beijing to receive the award and attend seminars, Yin Weizeng candidly expressed, "Making money and spending it has meaning, especially when spent on 220,000 people, it becomes even more meaningful." Many people find it hard to believe that a farmer could express such thoughts, considering it overly boastful, but it truly reflects what Yin Weizeng feels deep down. Many people may not be wealthy, yet they remain enthusiastic and persist in helping those in need. "Those who become rich first should invest in public welfare and shoulder some social responsibilities."
Yin Weizeng often tells his son, "I won't leave you too much money," "Leaving behind spiritual wealth is what will benefit you for life." Smiling, Yin Weizeng scratches the back of his head with his left hand.
Yin Weizeng's son, Yin Xianguang, is 21 years old, studying adult college, and currently serves as the deputy captain of the volunteer fire brigade. He participates in every firefighting operation. Yin Xianguang told the reporter, "After my father can no longer continue, I will take over and carry on the volunteer firefighting work."