Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 400 - 284: A Display of Authority

Binjiang Port, Changhang Navigation Police Branch.

Director Tong and police officer Xiao Wu from his department worked overtime. By the time they finished organizing the reports to be submitted, it was already 10 pm.

The Firefighting Division didn’t have much funding or personnel, yet there was an abundance of paperwork to be dealt with.

The Changhang Public Security Bureau Fire Department, Jiangnan Province Police Department Fire Department, Binjiang City Public Security Bureau Fire Brigade, Port Authority, and even the Port District Bureau constantly asked the Firefighting Division to submit various materials.

He thought it was already late enough when leaving work, but to his surprise, he saw the lights in the director’s office still on as he walked out.

He told Xiao Wu to go home and rest first. Then, he approached and knocked on the slightly ajar door, not expecting to actually find the director still in the office.

"Old Tong, what’s up?" Zhang Junyan looked up and asked.

"Director Zhang, why haven’t you rested so late, weren’t you attending the People’s Congress these days... I thought you came back to check and forgot to turn off the lights and lock the door when you left."

"I came back after dinner to rush a report."

"What kind of report is so urgent? Even if it’s very urgent, the office staff could write it; you need not write it yourself."

Zhang Junyan took a cigarette from Director Tong and smiled, "This is a suggestion for the People’s Congress, I can only write it myself. They aren’t the representatives of the People’s Congress, how can I let others write it?"

Director Tong sat down and asked: "Suggestions? Isn’t it a motion?"

"The People’s Congress has suggestions, the Political Consultation Conference has motions."

"I’ve never been a representative of the People’s Congress or a member of the Political Consultative Conference, so I really don’t know about these things."

"I didn’t understand at first either, I only learned about it after being elected by you all the year before last."

The former Binjiang Port Police Bureau was under the Port Authority, and the City People’s Congress only gave two delegate spots to the Port Authority.

The secretary of the Port Authority must be a candidate, and another candidate should be selected from the frontline workers according to convention; they would never nominate a "security guard". Later, the Binjiang Port Police Station became the Changhang Public Security Bureau Binjiang Branch, just like the Port Supervision Bureau, it got the spots for the People’s Congress representatives.

As the director, Zhang Junyan had to be elected with a high number of votes.

Consequently, becoming the first City People’s Congress Delegate of the Changhang Bureau and the only one in the bureau.

Thinking of the nearly completed People’s Congress suggestion, Zhang Junyan picked it up and handed it to Director Tong, "Just like last year, I suggest that the city and the Port Authority increase their investment in firefighting. You came just in time to help me see how it looks."

It was an old story; this was not the first time such a suggestion had been made.

The city’s finances were tight, reportedly owing hundreds of millions in external debt. Director Tong didn’t believe the city would give money to the branch, but he still started to read the suggestion materials.

Zhang Junyan lit a cigarette and asked with a smile, "How about it at Salted Fish’s end, do those three new comrades obey him?"

Director Tong, while reading the materials, answered with a smile: "Zhang Ping was an onboard police officer and has known Han Ning for quite some time. He would definitely follow orders and commands; there’s no way he would dissent. Xiao Gong just started working and graduated from the Shipping School, he sees Salted Fish as an idol, and likewise, he wouldn’t dissent."

"How about Fang Guoya?"

"Although I haven’t been to Bailong Port these days, I call every day to check. Old Liu and Director Jiang said that at first, Fang Guoya was not very obedient, but it’s understandable. After all, he’s been working onshore in firefighting for so many years, climbing up from a firefighter to Deputy Captain, he’s quite experienced, and Salted Fish is so young."

Director Tong chuckled, then continued, "He didn’t quite understand why Salted Fish organized seasickness training for them. He thought he was in good physical condition and wouldn’t get seasick. Salted Fish, seeing his lack of understanding and reluctance, didn’t say much, but arranged for a small speedboat from the Port Supervision Bureau to take them out for a few laps on the river."

Zhang Junyan couldn’t help but think of Wang Wenhong and laughed as he asked, "Did he throw up?"

"He almost threw up his guts."

Director Tong put down the suggestion materials he had browsed, lit a cigarette and said with a laugh, "Not only did Fang Guoya throw up, even Zhang Ping, who had worked on passenger ships, threw up, and Xiao Gong threw up until everything went dark. I don’t know if they’ve recovered yet."

"Ha ha ha ha ha, that’s a good way to take them down a notch. To become a qualified water firefighting police officer, one must first overcome seasickness. Otherwise, how would they fight a ship fire if they can’t even stand steady on the 001?"

"That’s why I say Salted Fish has a knack for training."

"His master made his name from training, and he is his master’s closed-door disciple. Of course, he has a knack for training." Zhang Junyan thought for a moment and then asked, "Old Tong, regarding Fire Supervision, has Salted Fish talked to you about his ideas?"

The Fire Division’s work can be summarized as "combining firefighting with prevention".

Firefighting is primarily about team construction, which is the future work of the newly established Water Firefighting Team. The saying that goes "Train for a thousand days for just one day of battle" is about the Water Firefighting Team.

Prevention mainly involves checking for hidden dangers, timely rectification, and guarding against fire outbreaks.

The superiors place great importance on prevention, and the actual situation also dictates the need to focus on prevention. Consequently, a set of legal regulations concerning fire supervision has been enacted, and even the arm badge of the police officers in the Firefighting Division who are responsible for prevention is different from others, bearing the words "Fire Supervision".

Director Tong, now over fifty, was well aware that the director intended to have Salted Fish eventually take over his role. He said with a smile, "I asked him, and he said he has some ideas, but they are not mature yet. He also said we need to eat one bite at a time, so for now, he wants to focus on training and making the firefighting team combat-ready as soon as possible."

"That kid, always keeping us in suspense. But what he said makes sense. No matter what we do, we have to take it step by step. Haste makes waste, right?"

"Director Zhang, I almost forgot to ask, is the city organizing a visit tomorrow for you People’s Congress representatives and Political Consultative Conference members? Should I notify Salted Fish to bring the team back to help the Binjiang Port Police Station ease the traffic and maintain order?"

"Certainly."

Zhang Junyan bent down to pick up his briefcase, took out a schedule, and said, "Tomorrow at noon, the city will first organize the members of the Political Consultative Conference for an inspection. From the list, it seems the city is taking the inspection very seriously - leaders from all four teams will participate, totaling sixteen buses, each with city-level leadership."

"People’s Congress?"

"The National People’s Congress delegates will come over the afternoon the day after tomorrow."

"Alright, I’ll call Salted Fish in a bit to have them come tomorrow morning."

...

Meanwhile, Fang Guoya, who had been training at Bailong Port for a week, had just returned home in his superior’s police car.

His young superior had instructed him that if he was to participate in the security operation tomorrow, he should go directly to the Police Branch. If the Fire Brigade wasn’t needed at the Police Branch for security, they would pick him up to return to Bailong Port.

Taking a speedboat for a spin on the river isn’t as romantic as the movies and TV make it seem.

Fang Guoya got so seasick that he vomited his guts out and still felt dizzy and nauseous, as if everything was swaying.

He staggered up to the third floor leaning on the walls, and knocked on the door.

Before coming back, he had made a call, and Xu Jie had been waiting for a while; she was shocked by his haggard appearance.

"What’s the matter? You look so out of sorts. Do you have a cold?"

"No cold, just seasickness."

Xu Jie asked in confusion, "Seasickness?"

Fang Guoya felt unsteady, sat down on the sofa with support, and said with a pained expression, "Not just seasickness, I get dizzy training on rolling paths and spiral staircases too."

"You’re a firefighter, why are you on a ship!"

"I’m now a Water Police, how can I do water firefighting without getting on a boat?"

"Do others get seasick?"

"The other two that went to report with me also got seasick."

"What about your twenty-three-year-old captain? Does he get seasick?"

"He was born and raised on a ship, studied at a Shipping School in junior college, worked on tugboats after starting his job, and even worked on giant ships of ten thousand tons, sailing across the ocean to many countries. He has weathered all sorts of storms; how could he possibly get seasick."

Confused, Xu Jie clung to his arm and asked, "Isn’t he local police? How could he go work on a ship?"

Fang Guoya said listlessly, "He’s Water Police from the local Police Bureau. He doesn’t just not get seasick, he also knows how to repair and sail boats. His credentials are a drawerful; I heard they’re quite valuable. If he left the police force to work for a shipping company, he could earn tens of thousands a year."

"That much!"

"He’s the Chief Officer on an ocean-going ship and a part-time pilot for the Port Supervision Bureau. He knows how to repair and sail ships and also speak English. Compared to him, I’m just a greenhorn who doesn’t know and can’t do anything."

"It’s normal for you not to be as skilled as him in his field."

Since he had been transferred to the Changhang Bureau’s Fire Brigade, all she could offer was encouragement. She certainly couldn’t ask her husband to resign.

Xu Jie thought for a moment, then nestled up to her husband with a smile, "Besides, you’re not the only one who doesn’t understand; there are two new colleagues, right?"

Fang Guoya said helplessly, "There are two new colleagues, but one has been an onboard police on a passenger ship for years, and the other graduated from a Shipping School. Both have Seaman’s Certificates and understand the job better than me. Even Old Zhu, the auxiliary police in the team, has a bunch of certificates and can pilot a small speedboat."

"So, you’re the only layman in your unit?"

"Yeah, just me, the newbie."

Fang Guoya hugged his wife, and then said with a wry smile, "There used to be a cook on the Dunship, and even that old-timer had a Seaman’s Certificate and the Four Small Certificates for emergency care and firefighting."

Xu Jie couldn’t believe her husband, who had extensive experience in firefighting, had become such a newbie in the Water Firefighting Team. She couldn’t help but ask, "What does a cook need a Seaman’s Certificate for?"

"Anyone working on a ship needs one. That old-timer was first a sailor, then a cook. For me, I’ll first be a sailor, then a public security police officer, and lastly a firefighter."

"Do you need to get a Seaman’s Certificate too?"

"The certificate isn’t just something you can apply for and get; you have to learn first, take an exam with the Port Supervision Bureau, and only after passing can you get the certificate."

"Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be too hard."

"I’m confident I can pass the Seaman’s Certificate and the Four Small Certificates, but even with them, I’d still be a rookie."

"What do you mean?"

"Onshore, there are ranks and positions, and the same goes for on a ship. Xiao Gong graduated from a Shipping School majoring in marine engineering. Once he accumulates enough years of service on the water and passes the relevant training and exams, he can become the Chief Engineer of a Law Enforcement Rescue Boat. Zhang Ping is learning to steer, aiming to become the Helmsman or even Second Officer of a Law Enforcement Rescue Boat, and to pilot a motorboat."

"What about you?"

"Me... I have to start as a sailor like me."

"Every beginning is hard; don’t rush, take it slow."

"That’s the only way to think about it now. Sigh, I used to look down on them, but I didn’t expect water firefighting to be so specialized, and so different from land-based firefighting."

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