Integrating Ground and Aerial Resources to Strengthen Capabilities: Training Instructors to Ensure Safety—The 2026 Yunnan Province “First Responder” Instructor Training Course Officially Commences.

To continuously strengthen the grassroots emergency management system, address shortcomings in the “first responder” phase of disaster response, build a robust team of professional emergency‑response trainers, and refine the province‑wide integrated air‑ground, three‑dimensional emergency rescue framework, the Yunnan Province “Emergency First Responder” Instructor Training Course officially commenced in Kunming on September 19, 2026. Hosted by the China Social Welfare Foundation and co‑organized by the Yunnan Provincial Red Cross Society and the International Emergency Management Society, the program was undertaken by the Yunnan Provincial Red Cross Aviation Rescue Corps and the Yunnan Feihu Vocational Skills Training School. More than 70 key trainees from across the province—representing emergency security, fire‑fighting and emergency response, volunteer rescue, Red Cross rescue, and frontline community sectors—participated in intensive, systematic, field‑oriented, and instructor‑focused training, thereby comprehensively enhancing their capabilities in handling emergencies and their skills in leading and delivering emergency‑response education at the grassroots level.

Yunnan boasts complex geology, distinctive landforms, diverse climates, and towering mountains with deep valleys. As a result, it is prone to frequent natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, debris flows, and floods. In remote mountainous areas and on rugged terrain, hazards are often concealed, making response efforts challenging and demanding rapid, coordinated action—placing stringent demands on the risk‑assessment capabilities, initial response capacities, and interagency coordination of frontline emergency forces. For many years, the Yunnan Red Cross Aviation Rescue Corps has been deeply engaged at the forefront of disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief across the province. Leveraging its multidimensional rescue strengths—including high‑altitude search and rescue, mountain rescue, air transport, damage assessment, and emergency‑supply delivery—it has effectively addressed practical challenges such as obstructed ground access and delayed deployment in mountainous regions. As the first‑response, front‑line, and foundational force at the scene of emergencies, “first responders” serve as a critical link between grassroots initial interventions and aerial rescue operations as well as specialized emergency teams. This specialized instructor‑training program aims to cultivate a cadre of professional, standardized, and locally‑rooted emergency‑response trainers, thereby comprehensively advancing the standardization, institutionalization, and full‑coverage development of grassroots emergency response teams throughout the province.

This training program spans six days, totaling 48 instructional hours, and employs an integrated teaching model that combines in-depth theoretical instruction, hands-on practical training, scenario-based drills, and closed-loop assessments. The curriculum comprises 20 hours of theoretical lectures, 24 hours of hands-on practice, and 4 hours of comprehensive evaluation. Designed to align closely with Yunnan’s regional disaster characteristics and the practical needs of frontline responders, the program uniformly utilizes officially approved, standardized textbooks and covers key modules including emergency management laws and regulations, fundamentals of disaster prevention and mitigation, hazard identification and damage assessment, information reporting procedures, on-site organization and command, response and evacuation strategies for natural disasters, fire safety management, emergency first-aid skills, post-disaster psychological support, and public awareness and education on emergency preparedness—offering systematic content that is highly targeted and strongly oriented toward real-world application.

This training session boasts an elite faculty lineup, with a distinguished team of China’s leading emergency‑response experts invited to deliver on‑site instruction and guidance. At the opening ceremony, Professor Qu Guosheng, Vice President of the International Emergency Management Society and former head coach of the Chinese Rescue Team, delivered the opening address. He emphasized that Yunnan is among the provinces in China facing the most complex natural disaster risks, the greatest diversity of hazard types, and the most formidable rescue challenges, with frequent and overlapping occurrences of mountainous‑terrain hazards, geological disasters, and meteorological events. Real‑world experience has clearly demonstrated that the golden window for life‑saving intervention following a disaster is extremely brief, and that national teams and specialized aerial rescue units often suffer from significant delays in mobilization. Consequently, the rapid response capabilities of grassroots first‑responder units directly determine the success rate of life‑saving operations and are critical to minimizing disaster losses. Today, the national emergency‑rescue system has evolved into a new framework: “national teams lead the charge, specialized units tackle the toughest challenges, grassroots units take the front line, and first responders act first.” In this context, Yunnan’s Red Cross aviation rescue system has filled a crucial gap in high‑altitude, three‑dimensional rescue capabilities, while building a corps of emergency‑response instructors represents a strategic initiative to bridge the last mile of air‑ground coordination and fortify the grassroots emergency‑response network.

He emphasized that the weakest link in emergency response capacity lies at the grassroots level, the key to breaking through resides in the quality of instructors, and the ultimate goal is practical, real‑world application. This instructor‑training program differs from ordinary skills‑popularization efforts; its core objective is to cultivate versatile trainers who understand the underlying principles, excel in field operations, can deliver effective instruction, and are capable of leading teams. The participants are not only frontline rescue leaders but also the “seeding force” for developing grassroots emergency‑response talent across the province. He added that the expert panel will share their full expertise throughout the course, integrate training with actual operations, and use standards as a guide to learning, thereby ensuring the highest possible quality and effectiveness of the program.

Zhang Chengwen, First‑Level Inspector of the Yunnan Provincial Red Cross Society, delivered the opening address, stating that this training is an advanced capacity‑building program for core emergency response personnel. The participants represent the backbone of the province’s emergency rescue workforce and bear the critical responsibility of “educating others upon mastering the skills, leading teams through training, and serving at the grassroots level.” He urged all trainees to elevate their ideological awareness, remain true to the humanitarian mission, and seize this opportunity for specialized intensive training—devoting themselves to in‑depth theoretical study, honing practical skills, and mastering effective teaching methods. He also emphasized strict adherence to training discipline, striving to comprehensively strengthen their capabilities in emergency response, on‑site coordination, first aid, and public education, with the goal of becoming well‑rounded emergency response instructors who are theoretically sound, practically proficient, skilled in teaching, capable of leading teams, and adept at collaboration.

Zhu Junkun, Commander of the Yunnan Provincial Red Cross Air Rescue Corps, delivered a speech in which he emphasized that the efficient operation of the integrated air‑ground rescue system hinges on the frontline efforts of grassroots first responders—namely, early warning, initial response, on‑site support, and information coordination. He expressed the hope that all trainees, upon completing their courses and obtaining certification, will proactively assume responsibility, fully leverage their role as “seed trainers,” and routinely conduct emergency preparedness training, skill demonstrations, and team‑level instruction at the community level. By continuously strengthening the pool of grassroots emergency response personnel, actively coordinating with air rescue and specialized rescue teams, and refining an emergency response framework characterized by seamless air‑ground collaboration, vertical integration, and comprehensive coverage, they will strive to bridge the “last mile” of grassroots emergency rescue.

According to reports, this training program employs a dual-track, closed-loop assessment system that combines theoretical instruction with hands-on practice, adhering to rigorous standards, stringent management, and exacting evaluation throughout the entire process. Upon successfully completing all courses and passing the assessments, participants will officially receive the “Emergency First Responder Instructor Appointment Letter,” the “Emergency First Responder Competency Training Certificate,” and the Yunnan Provincial Red Cross Junior First Aid Certificate, enabling them to conduct grassroots emergency‑response education, public‑awareness outreach, and on‑site emergency response activities. (Contributed by Yunnan Feihu Vocational Skills Training School and the Yunnan Provincial Red Cross Aviation Rescue Corps.)