Shanghai has become the first area in the country to set up special firefighting forces to respond to emergencies in high rises, Metro lines, chemical plants and vessels, according to the Shanghai Fire Control Bureau.

There are more than 6,000 tall buildings, underground space of 30 million square meters, and Metro lines of 400 kilometers in the city.

The teams can effectively put out fires and rescue people whenever blazes occur in these areas where fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish, said the bureau.

There are 12 high-rise firefighting teams in downtown Shanghai, all equipped with compressed air foam fire engines.

The 12 Metro firefighting groups are being trained to become familiar with the Metro routes.

The city has also introduced a dual function fire engine that can ride on both road and rail.

The city also has 16 chemical and 14 vessel firefighting teams. In addition, local fire departments have introduced 15 two-wheel and four-wheel firefighting motorcycles.

For fires on congested elevated roads or inside tunnels, these lightweight fire engines are ideal.

A two-wheel firefighting motorcycle can fight a fire for about two minutes.

(Shanghai Daily January 22, 2008)