SHANGHAI, Aug. 20 -- SONGSHAN Fire Control Brigade is one of the city's busiest, covering five neighboring districts and sending its firemen to cover about 300 serious accidents a year.

They don't just cover fires - because their fire engines are modern and carry the latest rescue equipment, firemen are often called to the scenes of tunnel collapses, traffic accidents, and even suicide attempts.

Based on Huaihai Road M. in Luwan District, the three-story red fire station is surrounded by modern high-rises and the bustle of shoppers.

"We are stationed at such a fashionable site. What a fantastic world outside," said brigade director Ge Dekai with a smile. "However, we observe strict regulations so that the outside world is completely separated from us."

Shanghai Daily spent one scorching day early this month experiencing the life of a Songshan fireman.

At 5:30am, it's time for firemen to start the day with a five-kilometer run around Huaihai Park next to the station. They must tidy their rooms and wash before 7am, when breakfast is served.

At 7:30am, the firemen, dressed in green long-sleeved clothes and black rubber boots, conduct their morning drill on a ground the size of a basketball court. The training that day includes ascending buildings with ladders and practicing using hoses and rescue equipment.

By 11:30am, they're well and truly ready for lunch, which features six dishes and a soup. "Today we have eggplants, cucumber, wild rice stem fried with pork, spicy fish heads and so on," Ge said. "Considering the hot weather, we usually serve snacks at 4pm during the break in afternoon training."

After lunch, the brigade is allowed to nap until 3pm, when the temperature soared up to 35 degrees Celsius.

The director explains the importance of such physical training. "At the scene of fires, firemen have to carry at least 50 kilograms of equipment, including helmet, clothes, shoes, a special waist belt, mask and water tank," Ge said.

"Without hard and continuous training, they are not able to ensure their own safety in dangerous situations, let alone rescue others."

That afternoon some firemen continued to practice climbing ladders. Others practiced operating equipment used when a building collapses or when a car overturns, such as a powerful air cushion, giant hydraulic pliers and a life-detecting device resembling a snake.

In the scorching heat, the thick training clothes were quickly soaked by the firemen's sweat. Despite the sweltering conditions, the drill lasted until 6pm as usual.

At 7pm, dinner was served, and then comes study time.

"We learn theories on fire control techniques and firefighting facilities. In addition, some basic information on streets and neighborhoods under our jurisdiction is included in daily study," Ge said.

Study lasts until 10pm, but on Saturday nights, colleagues who are teachers are invited to the barracks to give special lessons, as more than 40 members of Ge's team have applied for the university entrance examinations for adults. "Due to our special duties, we can't leave the base, so we set up the classroom in our brigade," he explained.

Shanghai Daily spent a rare peaceful day with the firemen, as there was not a single alarm call.

The brigade answered more than 840 alerts during the first seven months this year, including fires, suicide attempts and calls for help from residents, ranging from those locked out of their homes to people discovering a hornets' nest.

"We were dispatched to 14 emergencies on August 1. All of us were exhausted," Ge said.

Tough barracks life for recruits

Experiencing the life of a fireman for just one day might be fun, but being a real fireman is definitely no easy job.

First of all, can you bear the boredom of barracks life? Firemen have little entertainment. They must conduct training and study from Monday to Saturday. They are only free on Sunday to deal with their own affairs but still forbidden to leave the barracks.

A young fireman told me his duty was keeping guard at the entrance for eight hours every day. There are three shifts, and each shift works for one-third of a day. "Our barracks is somewhat different from others as it was set up adjacent to a residential area. The gate of our brigade is also the only entrance for about 200 to 300 residents to their own houses nearby," said the young man who declined to be named.

He said he could recognize every one of the residents. Any strangers must register at the office first before being let through.

It's also tough for these young men to have a girlfriend. Firemen about 20 years old will serve in the brigade for three to eight years. Regulations ban them from using cell phones, so they communicate by writing letters and talking on public phones.

"We encourage them to write letters to their families or girlfriends, which can improve their writing skills and handwriting," said Jin Yuanming, an official with Luwan Fire Sub-Team.

3,000 Emergency Calls a Day

Shanghai has a total of 5,800 firefighters and 1,600 staff who are in charge of backup personnel and technical support.

The Shanghai Fire Control Bureau manages 105 fire brigades divided into 24 sub-teams throughout the city. The bureau is also responsible for guiding special firefighting groups in 151 major companies.

More than 500 fire engines of various kinds are on call, most of which have world-class equipment imported from overseas.

The three main tasks facing firemen are fire control and firefighting, emergency and disaster response, and explosive removal.

In the first half this year there were 2,573 fires, causing 24 deaths, 23 injuries and economic losses of 9.12 million yuan (US$1.2 million). Though the number of fires increased 10.4 percent from the same period last year, the number of deaths, injuries and economic losses dropped by 25 percent, 34 percent and 38 percent, respectively.

The Shanghai Fire Command Center gets about 3,000 calls a day reporting fires or asking for help on the 119 emergency phone number. Within one minute, operators must confirm the address and dispatch the right number of engines.