头盔被烤化却浑然不觉，消防员七进火场将大火扑灭 | Badge of Honor

2015年2月1日，消防员陈兴达因为一顶被烤化的头盔为人所知。那时，他刚刚参与扑灭百荣世贸商城二期仓库的一场大火，整个过程历时71小时。

The call that would bring him nationwide fame came in on a Thursday morning, at 9:49 a.m. on January 29, 2015, specifically. Chen Xingda immediately realized that the situation was critical since the Beijing Special Firefighting and Rescue Detachment had made the call.

接到火警，是1月29日9时许。前不久，陈兴达刚做了一个小手术，当天才返回医院拆线。但陈兴达所在中队隶属北京消防特勤支队，需要他们出动，意味着火情特别复杂。作为入伍第五年的老兵，陈兴达放不下心，还是主动奔赴现场。

Even though the doctors had only just removed the stitches from his recent surgery, being a veteran fireman in his fifth year's service, Chen volunteered for the mission.Little did he know that he would tackle the blaze that had hit the Bairong World Trade Center in Beijing for three days or 71 hours, in the course of which his iron helmet would start to melt at the front and later become a symbol for the heroism of the nation's firefighters.

起火的地方是百荣世贸商城的仓库。两千多平方米的空间，被分割成一个个小库房，结构复杂，还堆满了服装鞋帽等易燃物。防火门暂时将火势控制在仓库内，但也造成了现场“闷烧”的效果，温度极高。

The fire erupted in a warehouse that extended over an area of 2,000 square meters. The storage hall was divided into countless small rooms where inflammable clothes and shoes were piled up on top of each other. The fire doors kept the flames inside but also turned the place into an extremely hot and highly dangerous firebox.

“困难有很多。一是进不去，里面浓烟滚滚，温度太高。第二，里面货物堆放得很杂乱，平面图基本派不上用场，有些货物都已经倾倒了，把路给堵了。还有就是，防火卷帘门已经落下来了，还有各种货架、铁丝网，要现场破拆。”陈兴达说。

"There were several challenges. First, we couldn't get inside, as it was filled with smoke and the temperatures were extremely high. Second, the goods were scattered everywhere. Some boxes had fallen down and blocked the way, making the floor plan of no use. Plus, we had to break through the fireproof doors and all kinds of shelves and wire fences," said Chen.

陈兴达和战友们背着氧气瓶和七、八十斤的装备，在伸手不见五指的环境中，摸索着开出一条路，寻找火场中的自动喷淋装置。陈兴达的任务是不断往两位战友身上泼水，掩护他们进攻，防止烫伤。没有人给他降温，他只能一手抓住水枪，俯身趴在积水中。但他感受到的不是凉水，而是热水：“我被开水烫过，不过顺着衣服缝隙进来的水滴，比开水还烫人。”

Carrying oxygen cylinders and other gear weighing 40 kilograms, Chen and his comrades-in-arms looked for the automatic sprinklers in total darkness. Chen's job was to spray water onto the other two companions to prevent burns. With no one to cool him down, he had to lie on his stomach as he was using the fire hose nozzle. Even so, the heat was intolerable. "I was burnt by boiling water before. Yet the water that seeped in my uniform was much hotter than that."

20多分钟后，他们的氧气面罩开始报警了。“以往的火灾，气瓶一般能用30分钟到40分钟，这次20多分钟就开始报警了。浓烟太大，封闭式燃烧的温度太高，破拆又要用力，呼吸的频率就加快了。”

Their oxygen masks began to show warning signs after only 20 minutes. "Normally the oxygen could last for up to 40 minutes. The heavy smoke, the smoldering heat and the demolishing work were very energy-consuming, which accelerated our breathing."

三人小组马上撤出更换气瓶，另一组攻坚队员顶上。如此七进七出，陈兴达的刀口裂开了，但高温炙烤让他感觉不到疼痛。最后，比其他战友更瘦小的他爬进了障碍物中的狭窄空间，终于找到了仓库喷淋系统的开关。“打开之后，没有被烧坏的喷淋都开始喷水，可以降低周围的温度，让火不再向其他楼层蔓延。” 

The three quickly retreated to change the cylinders, while another team went in to take over. Chen's incision from recent surgery cracked open again after he had broken into the burning building for the seventh time, but due to the excruciating heat, he didn't feel any pain.Being skinnier than others, he managed to crawl through all kinds of narrow spaces and eventually found the switch to turn on the sprinklers. "We turned on the system. The functional sprinklers helped reduce the heat and stop the fire from spreading to other areas."

到火被灭掉为止，整个过程持续了71小时，是北京消防史上最长的一次扑救。毗邻仓库的商场主楼安然无恙，无人员伤亡。此时，能抗260摄氏度高温的头盔已经被烧焦，而陈兴达并未发觉。

It took them 71 hours to extinguish the fire, making it the longest firefighting operation in Beijing. The main shopping mall next to the warehouse was untouched with no casualties. Chen never even realized that his helmet, which was designed to withstand the heat of 260 degrees Celsius, had melted.

陈兴达最早注意到消防官兵，是在2008年汶川地震时。看到灾难现场身穿橄榄绿和橙红色抢险服的抢险消防兵，他就对这个职业充满敬畏，也萌发了当兵的想法。

The first time that Chen became aware of firefighters was during the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008. Seeing those olive and orange uniforms rescue victims from the debris, he could not help to admire them and want to become one of them.

2009年，陈兴达还在上高中。当时，学校斜对面的一家汽修店着火，店里的老奶奶和她的孙子都遇难了。“那个奶奶和我奶奶差不多岁数，平时免费给我们学生打气，每次都很热情。当时这个火灾对我的影响挺大的，觉得人的生命太脆弱了。”

Chen was just a high school student in 2009, when a car shop opposite the school suddenly caught fire, taking the lives of the owner and her grandson. "The lady was about the same age as my grandmother. She was very nice and always inflated our bicycle tires for free. The accident had a deep impact on me and taught me that life is fragile."

回家之后，陈兴达对父母说，自己要去当消防兵。父母也特别支持他。2010年，陈兴达顺利应征入伍。

Chen told his parents that he was determined to become a firefighter, and got their full support. In 2010, his dream came true as he was recruited right after graduation.

但刚入伍的陈兴达，身高一米八多，体重还没有一百二十斤，负重时的爆发力不够，平常的业务训练特别吃力。

The rookie was 180 centimeters tall but weighed less than 60 kilograms. Lacking the strength to carry heavy gear, he found it hard to get through the training.

“但我这个性格就是不服输。都是在这种环境下成长，为什么他们都是业务骨干，我却不是呢？”

"I was pretty stubborn. We were trained in the same way. As long as others could make it, so could I."

所以，陈兴达天天泡在训练场。“中午别人休息的时候我会去跑步，单双杠。我还会加倍的练，从第四年的时候业务上，业务和体能上已经就是在中队都已经算是比较好的了。”

Chen spent most of the time on the training field. "When others took a rest, I would go running and practice horizontal bar and parallel bars. I always go the extra mile. By the fourth year, I became one of the squadron's bests in professional skills and physical strength."

而且，灭火是个技术活，不仅仅是打水枪，铺水袋。充足的理论知识和冷静的头脑是完成任务的关键。“看见火我并不怕，无论发生火灾或是其他，本人不能怕。一切按照作战的安全规则来，不会有问题。”陈兴达说，“而且作为一个班长，火场里面有我的兄弟，我怎么把你带进去，我怎么把你带出来。”

Firefighting requires more technical skills than holding the nozzle and laying the hose. Theoretical knowledge and a cool head are vital to complete the mission. "I'm not afraid of fire. We must never be afraid in the face of an emergency. You just follow the safety rules, and everything will be alright," says Chen. "I'm the squad leader. When I bring in my brothers, I have to bring them out in one piece."

陈兴达的家人对他的职业也不是特别了解，就知道是灭火的。危险的事情，他从来不对家人说。

"It's as simple as that. I've set my mind on this career and try my best to do it well."

“说白了，我就是认定这个事儿了，认定了这个职业，尽心尽力地干好它。”如今，陈兴达成为消防员已有九年了。在灾难面前冲在最前线，依然是他不变的日常。

Nine years into his firefighting life, Chen is still one of the first to go to the rescue.

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