TRIAL BY FIRE Bruneian firefighters undergo training in northern Chinese city of Puyang

By Sun Qi

A Chinese saying goes: “Fire is the test for gold.” And firefighting training is a crucial activity for rescue workers to sharpen their skills in saving people from fires.

From July to August, the hottest period of the year in northern China,some 66 Bruneian firefighters underwent firefighting training in simulation facilities at the Puyang National Hazardous Chemicals Emergency Rescue Training Base of Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield Firefighting Vocational Training School in Puyang City, northeastern Henan Province.

Bruneian firefighters were instructed to go up and down, climb ladders and scale structures to put out a fire—resulting in visuals not unlike special forces in a war zone. The simulated facilities at the Puyang Base adopt the most advanced technologies and standards in the world. And the training program includes fires caused by oil exploitation as well as accidents involving oil and gas storage and transport, aimed at improving the firefighters’ comprehensive practical abilities in fire disaster relief.

Puyang Training Base, a nationallevel key project constructed by Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield, features simulated outdoor facilities such as a refining tower, liquefied gas spherical tank and oil storage tank. It took the 66 Bruneian firefighters, who were among the first group of foreign officers to train in Puyang, nearly two months to finish the program.

On August 20, the Bruneian firefighters completed the 59-day training program including emergency rescue equipment operations and fighting fire with petrochemical equipment.

Afli Shahreen Bin Rosli, a Bruneian firefighter, proclaimed at the graduation ceremony: “We learned a wealth of practical skills during our time at the Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield Training School and made good friends with the Chinese faculty and staff. This training program has been an unforgettable experience for us all!”

A Bruneianfirefighter during afire drill on August 2, 2018, at the petrochemical facilities area of Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield Firefighting Vocational Training School in Puyang City, Henan Province.

Brunei, located on the northern coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, is home to oil and gas reserves that fuel the second-ranked production in Southeast Asia just behind Indonesia. Oil and natural gas account for 99 percent of Brunei’s export revenues,and its exports of the liquefied natural gas rank second globally. It is crucial for Bruneian firefighters to undergo systemic fire training in petrochemical facilities in hot weather.

The professional training program for Brunei firefighters marked Zhongyuan Oilfield Firefighting Vocational Training School’s first move to tap the international market. Capitalizing on regional training advantages, Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield has actively participated in the construction of the Belt and Road to strengthen international recognition of the brand. So far, Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield’s petroleum and petrochemical brand and services are already available in nine countries including Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan, and their business scope covers the entire industrial chain of the oil and gas industry.

Sweat runs down the face of a trainee.

Bruneianfirefighters during afire drill on August 2, 2018, at thepetrochemical facilities area of Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield Firefighting Vocational Training School in Puyang City, Henan Province.

A birthday party for three Bruneianfirefighters at Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield Firefighting Vocational Training School in Puyang on August 14, 2018.