Lifesaver on the sea

ezhejiang.gov.cn | Updated: 2019-02-19

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Guo Aiguo, leader of a rescue team in Yuhuan, Zhejiang province [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

A painful memory sometimes is the source of a firm resolution.

"Over 30 years ago, my best friend was overcome by the sea and every time I think of the scene and the despair, my heart hurts. I wonder from time to time what if there was a rescue team and what would he look like if he's still alive," Guo Aiguo looked at the sea, lost in thought.

The man in his fifties used to be engaged in seafood business in Yuhuan, a county-level city in Taizhou, Zhejiang province. Two years ago, he got a new identity – leader of a private rescue team by the sea.

What made up Guo's mind to build such a team was the memory of his friend, as well as the failure in saving a young man three years ago. "My friends and I tried our best to save the two drunk men but just couldn't save both. The heart-wrenching cries and screams of his family still affect me today," Guo said.

In September 2017, Haiyun Rescue Team registered itself in the local department of civil affairs, with over 100 members.

At the very beginning, Guo had no idea about what they could do, how to train the members and how to get the professional equipment.

He firstly proposed to analyze the accidents that had happened on the sea in recent years and discussed with members how to reduce risks.

They bought some loud-speakers to remind people, searchlights to patrol the seaside at nights and kickboards to save drowning people. Guo even bought a motorboat with his own money.

To make the rescue operations quick and effective, Guo invited SWAT officers to instruct and train team members. They took every detail into consideration, including the way to put their clothes and shoes when sleeping, to improve efficiency. "The rescue work is a competition with time," Guo remarked.

Since the team was established, more than 30 lives have been saved by its members.

"My thinking is quite simple. I don't want to see lives swallowed by the sea anymore," said the lifesaver.

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The rescue team on the sea [Photo/zjol.com.cn]