Peninsula reporter Sun Zhaohui.
Most of the forest rangers are male, but in Cotton Village, Xifu Town, Chengyang District, there are more female rangers than male rangers. In one of the fire prevention duty points, the Biaoqian Forest Ranger House, the four rangers are all "women's soldiers", their average age is about 57 years old, walking in the Sanbiao Mountain every day, and they are proud to protect ......this land
Zhao Shuxiu (first from left), Huang Jiaxiang (second from left), Liu Ying.
From November 1 to May 31 of the following year is the forest fire prevention period in our city, and these seven months are the busiest time for forest rangers.
On March 6, the reporter came to the forest ranger house in front of the standard, followed the forest ranger women's army, and experienced the work of female forest rangers.
The 10-square-meter house halfway up the mountain is their "home".
A lonely brick house, located in the middle of the Sanbiao Mountain, the area is not large, about 10 square meters, here is the standard front of the forest ranger. The entrance is directly opposite a cherry orchard, down is the cotton village, and up the road, there is a dense pine forest. The ranger house acts as a barrier to the noise and silence. At night, it is even darker. "No one went up the mountain during the forest fire prevention period, it was just us four female rangers who were on the mountain. Ranger Liu Ying said.
The brick house is simply furnished, and the only heating and cooling equipment is a hanging air conditioner.
There are two bunk beds with a width of one meter, stacked with daily necessities, and the bottom two beds are neatly covered with pink sheets, and the walls are surrounded by red and pink cloth and colorful wallpaper. There was a microwave on a half-height table, "Fire is forbidden on the mountain, and we usually bring food from home." Liu Ying, a forest ranger, tied the day's lunch and dinner in plastic bags and hung them on the outer wall of the ranger's house, "This is a natural refrigerator, and when you need to eat, you can just heat it in the microwave." The sun warmed the room, and in this small residence, they were warmly furnished, and there was a faint fragrance of tea.
The "squad leader" of these four forest ranger women's army is called Liu Ying. Liu Ying has neat short hair, bright eyes, flushed cheeks, and is wearing an orange forest ranger suit with a silk scarf around her neck. She is 52 years old, the youngest of the women's army. She joined the team in 2015 and has been working for nine years now.
10 square meters of ranger house.
Most of our 'partners' joined in 2015 and 2016, when the village recruited forest rangers, and we actively responded to the village's call. Liu Ying affectionately refers to the other rangers as "partners" because they have experienced the April 19 wildfires together. "I vividly remember that on April 19, 2022, a wildfire broke out near Sanbiao Mountain. At that time, I was on duty, and suddenly there was thick smoke billowing from the mountain, and I was very panicked, I was afraid that I would not be able to hold the mountain, and I was afraid that the fire would spread to the village. I immediately contacted the village to explain the situation, but fortunately, the staff brought the fire under control in time and it did not spread. Liu Ying said that in the event of such an emergency, it doesn't matter who is on duty at all, so everyone will go together. Recalling the scene at that time, Liu Ying still had palpitations.
Looking around, there are several brand-new "Fu" characters posted in the room. "This is what we just put up for the Chinese New Year this year. Liu Ying said. She has been a ranger for 9 years, and she has not spent the Chinese New Year's Eve with her family for 8 years. "Every Chinese New Year, I wrap the dumplings and freeze them one day in advance, and I haven't seen the Spring Festival Gala in these years. When Liu Ying said this, her tone was light and light, and when the reporter asked if the job was hard, she just smiled, "This is my duty, not hard......."”
The patrol is 10 hours a day, and the mountain road has to walk more than 10 kilometers.
Is this job really as easy as Liu Ying said? At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the reporter followed Liu Ying up the mountain to patrol, but the distance of 2 kilometers from the forest ranger house to the top of the mountain was "nine bends and eighteen bends".
This winter is extremely cold, and Liu Ying and her sisters will wrap in thick cotton jackets, hats, and cotton shoes when they go up the mountain. "Even though I was wearing thick clothes, it was still cold at the heights, and my face was a little frozen after a few rounds of patrolling. The snow has melted in the past few days, and the road is still good, and the snow in the first few days is up to the ankles, and we have shoveled out a road up the mountain. Liu Ying said as she walked.
The rugged trail is also the only way for them to patrol the mountains.
The road to the summit became narrower and narrower, with towering mountains on one side and deep valleys on the other, and the reporter walked with extra caution. Halfway through, the reporter was exhausted and out of breath, but Liu Ying walked as fast as the ground. She smiled and said, "You didn't feel comfortable when you just left, we got used to walking every day." "This distance is not far, but the slope is steep, there are many detours, and it takes about five minutes to drive, and Liu Ying and her sisters have to walk for more than an hour.
Every day they patrol back and forth, not only through this fire escape, but also on a rough path. The reporter followed Liu Ying into the valley, stepped on strange rocks, stepped into the soil with his shoes, and took one step at a time. The reporter looked forward, and Liu Ying and her sisters stepped out of a path in the valley, and the path was full of thorns and strange rocks, and a careless fall could cause bruises.
Liu Ying walked into the depths vigorously, his eyes as sharp as an eagle, and he glanced around. "I usually come up at 7 a.m.** and every now and then I have to come up and patrol around. Before 10 o'clock in the evening, they patrol every half hour, and at the end of the day, they have to walk 10 hours on the mountain, and the mountain road can walk about 15 kilometers, and it is more than 20,000 steps every day. At 5 o'clock the next morning, when it was dark, I would go up the mountain again to see how I could rest assured. ”
All year round, no matter the cold or the scorching heat, Liu Ying and her sisters guard this mountain forest day after day. She looked up at the green and tall pine trees and said, "Not only is the forest fire prevention work getting better and better, but the ecological environment on the mountain is also getting better and better. Speaking of snakes, the reporter couldn't help but stand on end, but Liu Ying said, "We are all people in the mountains, we have feelings for the mountains, and we are not afraid." For so many years, it's like your own home, just a different place to sleep. After a few days, when the cherry blossoms bloom, it will be like a paradise. ”
Liu Ying told reporters that the ecology in the mountains is getting better and better, and small squirrels, monkeys, badgers, etc. can be seen from time to time.
With an average age of 57 years old, "the mountains are my home".
Liu Ying usually does everything, rushes ahead of everything, and is omnipotent, everyone jokingly calls her "Liu Neng". The sisters who have a humorous personality and always like to tease each other are meticulous in their treatment of the job of "rangers". "Once I heard someone shouting loudly on the mountain, I thought someone had sneaked up the mountain, and immediately followed the sound to copy the path up the mountain, only to find that it was a climber on the other side of the mountain, so I was relieved. Liu Ying said. What they often say is, "Calm on the mountain is our greatest wish!" ”
Some of the four forest rangers are daughters-in-law and children of Cotton Village, and some are children of Cotton Village. Liu Ying has been married to Cotton Village for almost 30 years, and Zhao Shuxiu is a native of Cotton Village. "When I was a child, the village was poor, every family raised pigs and sheep, and the grass on the mountain was eaten up by the sheep, and it was barren. Later, the village launched the whole village to plant trees, and the trees on the mountain you can see at a glance were all planted by us. For me, this mountain is the place where I was born and raised, and it is my home. Zhao Shuxiu said.
The four of them guard the more than 1,000 acres of mountain forests. Because of guarding the mountains and forests, they gave all their time to the mountains. "When I first joined the ranger, my son was still in high school, and our job was a day off, 24 hours a day, and my son often didn't see me, and sometimes he would mumble a few words unhappily, but fortunately, he understood me, recognized my job, and supported me more and more as he got older. Liu Ying said. Not only Liu Ying, but also other rangers, Zhao Shuxiu and Huang Jiaxiang's granddaughters were brought up by grandparents, and the two of them have little time. But they optimistically say, "We have the mountains as our companions!" ”
Liu Ying has to walk back and forth several times a day to patrol the mountains.
Don't underestimate these big sisters, they patrol the mountain very carefully, and we are both worry-free and relieved to hand over the mountain to them. The staff of the forest fire prevention and extinguishing headquarters in Xifu Town said. "Who said that women are inferior to men" is vividly reflected in these forest ranger women's troops.
Today, the vegetation of Sanbiao Mountain is becoming more and more lush, the rivers are clearer, and there are more and more wild animals, all of which are inseparable from the dedication of the rangers. Over the years, they have done their duty to ensure the safety of the forest area. The four forest rangers, Liu Ying is 52 years old, Yu Cuizhen is 58 years old, Zhao Shuxiu is 61 years old, and Huang Jiaxiang is 60 years old, their average age is 57 years old, they are still full of vitality and smiles. "The mountains nurture us, we guard the mountains, and if we can, we want to protect them for the rest of our lives. ”