北碚山火救援志愿者Frank：重庆，雄起！

文/本刊记者 贺煜

Frank, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education of Southwest UniversityFrank，西南大学教育学部副教授。

“Being a part in the rescue of Beibei forest fire left me a deep impression on the great cohesion and execution of the Chinese people, as well as the strong mobilizing and coordinating capability of the government. Chongqing is a beautiful and strong city. I love everything here and I sincerely hope to further contribute to a better tomorrow for Chongqing.I wish the Jinyun Mountains could regain its vitality as soon as possible!”

——Frank

“参与北碚山火救援，让我深刻地感受到了中国人民的凝聚力、执行力，以及政府的强大号召力和调度能力。重庆这座城市美丽而坚强，我深爱着这里的一切，由衷地希望今后能继续为建设重庆更好的明天贡献力量。祝愿缙云山早日恢复往日生机与活力！”

—福兰课

In the scorching August, multiple forest fires broke out in Chongqing.Facing the raging flames, Chongqing people quickly gathered together and pitched in to jointly safeguard their homeland with resilience and perseverance, displaying extraordinary courage and solidarity.

In a video clip about the firefighting in the Jinyun Mountains, a foreign friend carrying supplies and holding a chainsaw to the front line of the fire by motorcycle, was affectionately known to netizens as a “lovely person”,“true friend” and “Sichuan and Chongqing brother”. He is Francis Stonier(known as Frank), a foreign associate professor in the Faculty of Education in Southwest University, whose Chinese name is “福兰课(Fulanke)” and he has been called “Lao Fu”.

滚烫的八月，重庆多地突发山火，重庆人迅速集结，用坚韧和顽强守护着自己的家园，展示了刻在骨子里的血性和团结。

其中，一段在重庆市北碚区缙云山参与山火救援的视频中，一名外国人身背物资、手持油锯，乘坐摩托车奔赴灭火一线，被网友亲切地称为“可爱的人”“真正的友人”“川渝兄弟”。他就是西南大学教育学部的外籍教授Francis Stonier（简称：Frank），中文名“福兰课”，大伙儿都叫他“老福”。

Frank (on the right) assembled about 50 chainsaws with volunteers in 2 hours.Frank（右一）和志愿者一起两小时安装了约50个油锯。

“I shared a strong bond with Chongqing! Chongqing, Xiongqi(Cheer up)!”

“I brought clothing for about 3 days, first aid kits, bandages and other supplies before I went to the fire site, getting ready to stay in the mountains for a few days”, said Frank. Early in the morning of August 23, he and his companions came to a gathering place for volunteers in Xiema Subdistrict of Beibei.

According to Frank’s recollection, on the night of August 21, he learned that a fire broke out in Aoerping, Hutou Village in Xiema Subdistrict, which is located in the Jinyun Mountains. He quickly posted his experience and emergency measures to deal with wildfires on social media platforms,reminding firefighters and nearby residents to mind their safety and take responsive measures.

On August 22, deeply touched by the picture of exhausted firefighters lying on the ground, Frank immediately responded to the government’s urgent calls for volunteers who know how to repair and use chainsaws with other 5 companions, including He Wu, a professor at the School of Foreign Languages in Southwest University.

“Chainsaw is a very professional and powerful cutting tool. It should be used with know-how and its assembling requires more skills.” Frank said he is adept at the machinery and had also used chainsaws, so he hoped to offer help as soon as possible as he learned of the fire rescue needs.

Chainsaws played a big part during the fight against wildfire.油锯在扑灭山火中起到很大的作用。

“重庆人带给我太多感动！重庆，雄起！”

“出发前，我带了近3天的衣物，还准备了急救箱、绷带等物资，作好了在山上待几天的准备。”Frank说，8月23日一早，他便和同伴来到北碚歇马街道的一处志愿者集合点。

据Frank回忆，8月21日晚，他得知地处缙云山脉的北碚区歇马街道虎头村凹儿坪发生火情。他将自己积累的应对山火的相关经验和应急措施，第一时间发布在社交平台，友情提示灭火人员和附近的居民注意人身安全，做好应对措施。

8月22日，Frank看到网上山火救援的消防员累瘫在地上的照片，深受触动。在得知当地政府急需会维修和使用油锯的志愿者时，他立即响应，并和西南大学外国语学院何武老师在内的5位同伴一起加入。

“油锯是一种非常专业的砍伐工具，威力很强，需要具备专业知识的人使用，组装油锯更是一项技术活。”Frank说，他对工程机械类比较擅长，也曾使用过油锯，当得知山火救援需求时就希望能尽快上山帮忙。

组装、加汽油、测试……所有工序一气呵成。尽管酷暑难耐，起初只能跪在地上操作，Frank还是很快组装好了第一把油锯。在他的带领下，几名志愿者在两个小时内，保质保量组装了约50把油锯，经测试合格后被及时送往一线。

Frank (the man in gray shirt) gathered with volunteers.Frank（右二）和志愿者同伴在集合点。

Assembling, adding gasoline, testing... all procedures were finished in one go. Despite the intense summer heat and the fact that he could only kneel on the ground to operate at first, Frank quickly assembled the first chainsaw.With his help, several volunteers assembled about 50 quality chainsaws in 2 hours. The chainsaws were sent to the front line timely after the testing for qualification.

“On the site, all volunteers must follow the instructions of on-site staff.Since life is the top priority and the risk of battling wildfire is too high,considering the personal safety of volunteers, I was eventually persuaded to return.” Frank felt regretful for not being able to stay in the mountains to combat the fire.

Reviewing this experience as a volunteer, Frank said, “I shared a strong bond with Chongqing! Chongqing, Xiongqi (Cheer Up)!” During the volunteer service, facing the tense circumstances, everyone dedicated themselves to their work without caring about the sweltering weather. Many people on the spot greeted him and gave him towels and water; the volunteer who carried him up the mountains was thin but played a key role in supporting the rescue work.

“If there were other emergencies in Chongqing in the future, I would still actively volunteer to assist in the rescue work and share with others how to be a good international volunteer. I believe that in Chongqing, this international metropolis, there are other foreign friends who are ready to help as I am.”Frank said determinedly.

“救援现场，所有志愿者听从工作人员统一安排。生命至上，森林火灾救援风险太高，考虑到志愿者的人身安全问题，我最终被劝返。”Frank表示，对于没能留在山上继续救援，内心非常遗憾。

回顾此次志愿服务经历，Frank说：“重庆人带给我太多感动！重庆，雄起！”—志愿服务期间气氛非常紧张，顾不上天气炎热，每个人都很投入地工作。现场有很多群众和他打招呼，给他送毛巾和水。摩托搭载他上山的志愿者身材瘦小，却在支援救援的过程中起到关键作用。

“如果重庆今后有其他的紧急情况，我还是会积极地去当志愿者，协助救援，同时向大家传达应该如何做好一名国际志愿者。相信在重庆这座国际大都市里，还有其他的外国人和我一样，也都愿意帮忙。”Frank坚定地说道。

Frank and His FamiliesFrank和家人在一起。

“I love Chongqing! I’m planning to live here for the foreseeable future, possibly even retire here.”

Frank, 42-year-old, comes from Virginia, the U.S.

In 2008, when he was studying for a doctor’s degree in the U.S.,Frank visited Chengdu, Sichuan in China for academic exchanges. In just a few months, he fell in love with China. He also met a Chengdu girl and later married her, becoming a Chinese son-in-law.

Frank has been a professional educator for nearly 20 years. Prior to working in the university, he taught in a public school in the U.S. for 5 years. Later on, he has been devoting himself to teaching and scientific research in universities of China and the U.S. In 2018, the Southwest University launched a “Talent Program” to bring in high-end talents from overseas. Frank was invited to Chongqing as an associate professor in the School of Curriculum and Instruction in the Faculty of Education in Southwest University, focusing on STEAM (Science, Technology,Engineering, Art and Mathematics) education.

“Chongqing is an international metropolis with great inclusiveness.I love this city, local friends and its delicious foods, especially the Beibei District with outstanding people where my colleagues and students are living in”. Frank said he has been learning Chinese and wanted to learn Chongqing dialect. Having been paying the social insurance in Chongqing, he is going to apply for the Chinese “Green Card” so as to live here for the foreseeable future, possibly even retiring in Chongqing.

Photo/The Interviewee

“我爱重庆！要在重庆退休养老”

Frank，42岁，来自美国弗吉尼亚州。

2008年，Frank在美国读博士期间，作为学术交流人员到中国成都访学。短短几个月时间，他便深深地爱上了中国，还结识了一位成都女孩，他后来成为了中国女婿。

Frank从事教育职业近20年。进入高校工作前，曾在美国公立学校担任过5年教师，此后一直在美国和中国的大学担任教员从事教学及科研工作。2018年，西南大学“聚贤工程”引进海外高端人才，他受邀来到重庆，担任该校教育学部课程教学研究院副教授，主攻STEAM（科学、科技、艺术、数学）教学领域。

“重庆是非常开放包容的国际大都市，我非常喜欢重庆，喜欢重庆人和重庆美食。尤其喜欢人杰地灵的北碚，这里有跟我一起共事的同事和学生们。”Frank说，他一直在学习中文，希望再学点重庆话。他还一直在重庆缴纳社保，马上要申请“中国绿卡”，希望能在重庆工作到退休养老。