老外参加重庆山火救援，赞叹“中国人民的凝聚力”

近日，一位外国人乘坐摩托车、手持汽油锯，参与重庆北碚山火救援的视频引发网友关注。

外交部发言人华春莹也在推特上转发相关视频，赞道：“外国人，但不是外人。”（A foreigner, but not an outsider.）

The example of a foreign teacher who volunteered to help fight the raging wildfires in Chongqing's Beibei district with other local residents has touched many.

这位外国人名叫Francis Stonier（中文名：福兰课） ，42岁，来自美国弗吉尼亚州，是西南大学教育学部课程与教学专业副教授。

福兰课解释称，重庆北碚区发生山火灾情后， 有人在微信群转发一份通知，召集会维修和使用油锯的志愿者参与救援。

油锯是一种专业的砍伐工具，在山火中可以用于开辟隔离带。福兰课 在美国老家时，曾经用过油锯砍树和锯木头，帮经济困难的单亲家庭修建房子。

“我听说需要会用汽油锯的人，就去做了志愿者。”出门的时候，他准备了三天换洗的衣物和急救包。

The local government issued an urgent call for volunteers with certain skills and experience, such as chain saw operation, to join in the firefighting. Chain saws are used to create fire barriers. "I was happy to help," said Francis Stonier, 42, associate professor in the Education Department of Southwest University. He said he used to cut trees around his yard and neighborhood in the state of Virginia in the United States. He said he had volunteered many times in the US in the past — for example, building houses for homeless people after big storms.

23日，福兰课和翻译志愿者何武等6名大学老师前往歇马镇参与救援工作，主要负责组装和测试油锯。他们在2个小时内组装了50台油锯，这些油锯都被送往了前线。

Stonier found a translator—50-year-old He Wu, a professor in the university's college of foreign languages—who also signed up to fight fires. On Tuesday, a group of six college teachers, including Stonier and He, went to the volunteer venue in the district's Xiema town, the epicenter of the local blazes. Soon, the pair were assigned to one of the chain saw groups—inspecting and adjusting chain saws. After two hours of work, their group of five people had checked out some 50 chain saws, which were delivered to fire and rescue workers.

安装和调试油锯的任务完成后， 福兰课又主动申请加入上山锯树的队伍，下午3点，他和其他锯树志愿者一起，往山上去。

到了山上，一行人却被解放军劝返了，“前线太危险了，你已经尽到了自己的心和力，剩下的艰苦任务就交给我们吧。”尽管内心觉得非常遗憾，但福兰课还是服了从组织的安排。

At 3 pm, the pair was taken to a mountainous area by a volunteer motorcyclist, preparing for the next job－cutting wood. Stonier said he had a large backpack of camping gear, as he fully expected to be on the mountain all night. But he was persuaded to return home, as nonprofessionals are not encouraged on the front lines. "They were concerned about our safety, and I totally understood," he said.

“外国人都来支援我们了！”

福兰课乘坐摩托车上山时，沿途市民都为他竖起大拇指。

福兰课表示，这是他这辈子第一次拿着电锯、坐着摩托车穿过了小镇，并爬上了一座山。看到别人对他都竖起了大拇指，他称这是一段难忘的记忆。

经各方救援力量奋力扑救，以及志愿者和群众万众一心的努力，北碚区的山火在25日晚被扑灭。

"Wherever I went, the volunteers and local residents gave me a big thumbs-up. It was an unforgettable experience," Stonier said. Thanks to the joint efforts of fire and rescue workers, as well as volunteers and residents, the local government said the raging wildfire in Beibei had been extinguished as of Thursday night.

福兰课说，从山火发生后，他就在网上看了很多支援山火的消防员累瘫在地上之类的照片，觉得很感动。亲身参与了救援后，又深刻地感受到了中国人民的凝聚力、执行力、政府的强大号召力和调度能力。

"It was great to see such an outpouring of help in the extreme heat," he said, noting that he was impressed with the number of locals who came to help. Motorcyclists gave up their jobs to convey materials and people up and down the mountains. Others gave their time to carry heavy supplies, prepare and serve meals or help organize.

福兰课祝愿重庆雄起

福兰课2017年来到重庆，并于次年成为西南大学教师。如今，重庆已是他的第二故乡。

他说：“北碚是我的家，重庆也是我的家，我将来会一直生活在这里，甚至可能在这里退休养老。所以重庆遇到困难时，我毫无疑问会去当志愿者。”

In 2017, Stonier came to Chongqing and joined Southwest University the next year. "It's been a really hot, tough summer. But other than that, I'm really enjoying my life here," Stonier said, adding that the city seems to be a good place to raise his family, and the local people are friendly. "Beibei is my home, Chongqing is my home, I'm planning to live here for the foreseeable future, possibly even retire here," he said.

记者：谭英姿 邓蕊

编辑：左卓

来源：中国日报 上游新闻 极目新闻