"Stretch the fire hose!" cried Liu Qiuling, leader of the eight women firefighters carrying out drills in Tianzhu County, Southwest China's Guizhou Province.

These women squads wearing fire suits, protective helmets and boots, vary from images of ordinary rural women.

"In March, I organized this woman fire brigade to react immediately to a fire alarm in our village," said Liu Qiuling, Party secretary of Mushan Village in Tianzhu.

This voluntary fire brigade, together with the village head and forest rangers, often rings a gong to promote fire knowledge at night, and sometimes carries out household inspection during the day. During their shift, they offer timely investigations to reduce potential safety risks.

Since March, the women' volunteer fire brigade has given more than 40 fire safety knowledge presentations and conducted 200 fire inspections and 15 fire drills. They teach villagers firefighting and fire prevention skills, and welcome more additions to the team.

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)