In Xinjiang, the largest province in China by area and the one with the longest land border, the reputation as a “paradise for outdoor enthusiasts” and a “region for specialty tourism” attracts an increasing number of hikers and wilderness explorers. Xinjiang is also a region prone to natural disasters, where snowmelt floods and landslides occur frequently, raising the likelihood of disaster-related incidents and presenting new pressures and challenges for land search and rescue operations.
Weaknesses in search and rescue teams
The Xinjiang Red Cross Blue Sky Rescue Team has set up four branches across the region. Many team members are familiar with the numerous challenging hiking routes in Xinjiang. However, An Shaohua, the team leader of the Xinjiang Red Cross Blue Sky Rescue Team, deeply feels that their search and rescue capabilities are still very limited. On one hand, many areas in Xinjiang lack civilian search and rescue teams. On the other hand, as a purely non-profit organization, they refuse to involve any commercial elements, which means they have not received a single yuan in social donations. All expenses are borne by the members themselves, so the state of their training and equipment can be easily imagined.
“There’s another issue—when a sudden search and rescue call comes in, there are too few team members available to deploy.” According to Tang [Name], liaison officer of the Ili branch, “The Ili Red Cross Blue Sky Rescue Team has 43 members, but only a third can respond immediately. Some members are employed at organizations and can’t just drop their work. Most of those who can respond immediately are private business owners and self-employed individuals.”
Speaking about the current state of civilian search and rescue teams, Yu Zhongtao, general manager of Xinjiang Ancient Road Exploration Co., Ltd., was blunt: “The people are professional, but the equipment isn’t. The enthusiasm is high, but the training is lacking. A search and rescue team driven only by passion and empty-handed will definitely not be effective in rescue operations.”
Even government-established search and rescue teams acknowledge the weakness of Xinjiang’s search and rescue capabilities. Jin Yingjie, deputy director of the Xinjiang Outdoor Sports Rescue Team Management Center, who is on duty by the outdoor distress rescue hotline, told reporters that the Xinjiang Outdoor Sports Rescue Team is an official search and rescue team established by the regional sports bureau, consisting of only 15 members. During busy times, there aren’t enough personnel, so outstanding members from civilian rescue teams have to be selected to provide reinforcements. This team mainly focuses on high-altitude rescues, while low-altitude rescues still rely on civilian search and rescue teams. Additionally, the official rescue team is not omnipotent. For example, under the current imperfect national rescue system, there are no professional helicopters or pilots. Renting a helicopter for rescue costs 60,000 yuan per hour, and arranging the aircraft requires certain procedures and time.
Coordination efforts urgently need enhancement
Yu Zhongtao is a well-known explorer in Xinjiang who has been involved in rescue support operations under various complex terrains. During one mountain climbing incident when a landslide occurred, firefighters arrived quickly but lacked mountaineering experience and ropes, so they had to wait for the mountaineering rescue team. Therefore, he believes that search and rescue work should be a tripartite cooperation among the government, civilians, and enterprises to integrate strengths effectively.
“There needs to be a unified rescue hotline and a unified information system. Many people, regardless of the danger they face, randomly dial 119, which puts firefighters in a passive position. If there were a unified response and command rescue system, determining which specialized teams are needed based on the type of danger and geographical conditions, rescue operations could proceed in an orderly and efficient manner,” said Yu Zhongtao.
An Shaohua summarized that during the Lushan rescue mission, the government’s massive rescue capabilities played a role outside the mountains, while civilian search and rescue teams played a role inside the mountains.
In Ili Prefecture, Xinjiang, where natural disasters occur frequently, the Ili Prefecture Civil Affairs Bureau, Seismological Bureau, and Fire Department have given strong support to the Ili Red Cross Blue Sky Rescue Team. During the local earthquake disaster on June 30 and the landslide accident on July 31 last year, the government and civilian rescue teams cooperated effectively, achieving great results. Tang [Name] believes that the status of civilian rescue volunteers needs further recognition to enable rapid deployment in emergencies.
As for how to integrate forces in overall search and rescue efforts? Several rescue team members interviewed suggested that the government’s management of civilian rescue organizations should be similar to that of the militia, establishing regular training mechanisms. These rescue team members can focus on their regular jobs most of the time, but can quickly engage in emergency rescue when called upon. Nowadays, civilian rescue teams are gaining more experience, but they lack funding and equipment, and are not proficient with some new types of gear. If the government improves command, division of labor, training, and transportation support for civilian rescue teams, they will surely achieve “great success” in emergency rescue missions through coordinated teamwork.