Foreword
On April 8th, the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center had the honor of interviewing Captain Yeh, the captain of OCFA's Fire Station 6. Through this interview, we gained insights into the daily work and lives of firefighters, as well as their diligent efforts in safeguarding our community. With this valuable opportunity, we bring the stories of firefighters to everyone, showcasing their extraordinary contributions in ordinary positions.
In the OCFA's Fire Station 6 in Irvine, an Asian-American fire captain shoulders the responsibility of protecting people's lives and property. This fire captain is named Daniel Yeh, who has also served as the former spokesperson for OCFA. He is not only an outstanding firefighter but also a hero who steps forward in critical moments.
Like many first-generation immigrants, Daniel Yeh immigrated to the United States from Taiwan with his family at the age of 7, filled with unfamiliarity upon arrival. As he grew older, his love for sports during high school led him to dream of becoming a pilot, flying freely in the blue skies. However, a sports injury dashed his hopes of joining the AirForce. Despite this setback, the intelligent and diligent Yeh entered the University of California, Berkeley, opening a new chapter in his life. After graduating from college, he obtained a stable and enviable consulting job in business. In this job, he not only found love but also met his beautiful and kind-hearted wife.
However, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Yeh's sense of duty and responsibility led him to make a significant decision. Unable to serve his country in the military, he chose to become a firefighter to save lives and protect property, confronting death. Yeh's family gave him great support and approval for his career choice. "Every rescue mission can be a life or death struggle, regardless of race or color," Yeh emphasizes the importance of teamwork, firmly believing that only unity can effectively protect community safety, whether in firefighting or daily work. At the same time, he also appreciates the support and cooperation of his family, without whom he would not have achieved what he has today.
Through the interview, it was learned that OCFA provides firefighting services for 23 cities in Orange County, with a total of 77 fire stations, including 11 in Irvine. In OCFA, Asian firefighters account for only about 3%. Captain Yeh encourages young Asians with ideals and interests to actively pursue the fire service. The sense of achievement gained from rescuing a life from the clutches of death is unparalleled. If young people want to understand the real life of firefighters, they can apply for the "Cadet Program '' on OCFA's official website to get close to firefighters and learn firefighting and rescue knowledge.
At the end of the interview, Captain Yeh made an appeal to the community, hoping that everyone would pay attention to disaster prevention awareness to avoid accidents threatening life safety, such as fires and drowning. As a fire captain of OCFA, Captain Yeh embodies the spirit of "life first" through his actions, contributing his strength to the safety and stability of the community.
Afterword
Firefighters, like ordinary people, have their own ways of relieving stress and fatigue. For example, during a visit to the fire station, reporters found leisure and fitness areas where firefighters could watch live news and enjoy their favorite movies during their off-duty hours. They also cook for themselves because only with a healthy mindset can they better engage in firefighting and rescue work. For Captain Yeh, one of his greatest joys is to hike and exercise with his family after work, as well as taking care of his pets. Additionally, he is very skilled in woodworking and can even make his favorite furniture. It is evident that our outstanding Captain Yeh is not only excellent in his work but also a considerate and kind husband and father in family life.
Citizens' Concerns: Fire Safety Q&A
1.Where is the switch for the automatic sprinkler head on the roof of a citizen's home? Can it be turned off?
It can be turned off by yourself. For most single-family houses, the control valve is located inside a small door on the garage wall, with an orange pipe valve inside. For garden sprinklers, the control valve can usually be found on a white pipe. If neither can be found, you can turn off the main valve at the entrance (if the sprinkler device on the roof starts spraying water due to a malfunction and before the firefighters arrive, you can perform these operations yourself).
2.Do citizens need to pay when the fire truck responds after an alarm is reported?
Generally, no payment is required when the fire truck responds. However, if it involves life safety and people need to take an ambulance to the hospital, then the ambulance service will be billed by the ambulance provider.
3.What are the working hours of firefighters?
Firefighters do not have the typical 9-to-5 schedule like officers. They mostly work continuously for 48 hours and then have several consecutive days off (according to the regulations and requirements of each fire station).
4.How can one prepare if interested in becoming a firefighter?
OCFA has launched a Cadet Program, which allows anyone between 14-21 years old to apply to experience the work and life of a firefighter. The group meets once a week and you can learn a lot of first aid and firefighting knowledge. When you turn 18 and graduate from high school, holding a US driver's license, you can go to a Community College to specialize in an EMT course. These are all preparatory steps to become a firefighter.
5.As the summer approaches, many residents of Orange County like to go swimming in pools or beaches. What should they pay attention to?
First, for children, it is advisable to learn to swim at a Swimming School as much as possible.
Second, parents should remain vigilant when taking their children swimming, as drowning incidents in children often occur in an instant. If not noticed in time, irreversible tragedies can occur.
Third, it is recommended that people learn CPR first aid knowledge as much as possible so that they can provide first aid before rescue personnel arrive.
6.What are some common rescue situations in Irvine, and how can they be avoided?
First, emergency medical rescue. Families with elderly members can purchase an automatic paramedic alarm that can be worn around the neck, so that when they fall at home or encounter other accidents where they cannot reach the phone, they can press the button on the chain for emergency assistance.
Second, traffic accidents. Although the roads in Irvine are wide, the speed of vehicles is also fast. The influx of new residents in recent years has increased the burden on Irvine's traffic and the rate of accidents. All drivers are reminded to pay attention to their maximum speed and not to drink and drive.
Third, company work-related accidents. Some companies may have personnel injuries during production operations, so employees are required to strictly follow the production operation standards and pay attention to their own safety.
Firefighters’ recreation lounge 消防員的娛樂休息室
Firefighters’ kitchen 消防員的廚房
抱負與擔當：亞裔美國消防隊長在爾灣市守護民眾安全
前記
南海岸中華文化中心於4月8日有幸採訪到了OCFA第六消防隊的隊長Captain Yeh。在這次採訪中，我們得以深入了解消防員們日常的工作和生活，以及他們在保護社區安全中的辛勤付出。通過這次寶貴的機會，我們將消防員們的故事帶給大家，展現他們在平凡崗位上的不凡風采。
在爾灣市的OCFA第六消防站，一位亞裔美國消防隊長肩負著保護人們生命和財產安全的重任。這位消防隊長名叫Daniel Yeh，他也曾擔任OCFA發言人。他不僅是一位傑出的消防員，更是一位在危急時刻挺身而出的英雄。
和許多第一代移民一樣，Daniel Yeh於7歲隨家人由台灣移民至美國，初來乍到，對這個新世界充滿了陌生感。隨著年歲的增長，高中時期對運動的熱愛使他夢想成為一名飛行員，可以在藍天白雲間自由飛翔。然而，一次運動受傷使他無緣進入軍隊服役。儘管如此，聰明勤奮的他進入了加州大學伯克利分校，開啟了新的人生篇章。大學畢業後，學習商科的他獲得了一份穩定而令人羨慕的諮詢顧問工作。在這份工作中，他不僅找到了愛情，還遇見了他現在美麗而善良的太太。
然而，911恐怖襲擊事件發生後，Daniel Yeh內心的使命感和責任感讓他做出了重要的選擇。尽管無法進入軍隊服役，但他可以成為一名消防員，挽救人們的生命和財產安全，與死神抗衡。Captain Yeh的家人對他的職業選擇給予了極大的支持與認可。「每一次救援任務都是一場生死之間的較量，不分種族、膚色。」 Captain Yeh強調了團隊合作的重要性，在日常救援中，他堅信只有團結一心才能有效保護社區的安全。同時，他也感謝家人的支持與配合，沒有他們，他也不可能取得今天的成就。
採訪中了解到，OCFA為Orange County中的23個城市提供消防服務，共有77個消防站點，爾灣有11個。在OCFA中，亞裔消防員僅占3%左右。Captain Yeh鼓勵有理想和興趣的亞裔年輕人積極申請加入消防服務。每當從死神手中奪回一個生命時，所獲得的成就感是無與倫比的。如果年輕人想了解消防員的真實生活，可以在OCFA的官網申請「Cadet Program」，在每週一次的時間裡與消防員近距離接觸，學習消防救援知識。
採訪結束時，Captain Yeh向社區發出呼籲，希望每個人都能重視災難預防意識，避免火災、溺水等威脅生命安全的事故發生。作為OCFA的一名消防隊長，Captain Yeh以實際行動践行著「生命至上」的理念，為社區的安全和穩定貢獻著自己的力量。
後記
消防員與普通人一樣，他們也有自己的方式來解壓和緩解疲勞。例如，在訪問消防站時，记者發現這裡設有休閒娛樂和健身區域，消防員們可以在工作之餘觀看即時新聞，欣賞自己喜歡的電影等。他們還會自己動手做飯，因為只有保持健康的心態，才能更好地從事消防救援工作。對於Captain Yeh來說，他最享受的事情之一就是在工作之餘陪伴夫人和孩子一起徒步、運動，並照顧家裡的小動物們。此外，他還十分擅長木工，甚至能夠製作出自己喜愛的家具。由此可見，我們傑出的Captain Yeh不僅在工作上表現出色，而且在家庭生活中也是一位體貼和蔼的丈夫與父親。
市民關心的消防小知識Q & A
1.市民家中屋頂上的自動噴淋頭的開關在哪裡？是否可以關閉？
自己可以關閉。對於一般的獨立屋來說，控制閥門在車庫牆上的小門裡，裡面有一個橘色的管道閥門。對於花園裡的噴淋來說，它一般是白色的管子上可以找到控制的閥門。如果都沒有找到，那麼就可以將入戶的總閥門關掉（在屋頂的噴淋裝置因故障開始噴水，且在消防員到達之前，您可以自己進行這些操作）。
2.市民報警以後，消防車出動，是否需要付費？
一般來說，只有消防車出動的情況下，是不需要付費的。但是如果涉及生命安全，民眾需要搭乘救護車前往醫院的情況下，那麼救護車是需要計費的（由救護車公司收取）。
3.消防員的工作時間是怎樣的？
消防員不像普通的辦公室員工那樣朝九晚五的工作作息，他們大多是連續工作48小時，然後再連續休息幾天（根據每個消防站的規定和要求）。
4.如果對消防員這份工作感興趣，應該怎麼入手準備呢？
OCFA推出了一個Cadet Program，只要你在14-21岁之间，那麼就可以申請每週一次來體驗消防員的工作與生活，從中你可以學到很多急救和消防知識。之後，當你滿18歲高中畢業以後，持有美國駕照，你可以去Community College專門學習EMT課程，這些都是成為消防員的準備工作。
5.夏季將至，OC居民中很多人喜歡去泳池或海灘戲水，需要注意什麼嗎？
第一，對於孩子來說，儘量先去Swimming School學會游泳。
第二，家長們帶孩子戲水的時候，要時刻保持警惕，孩子的溺水常發生在瞬間，若發現不及時，就會造成不可逆轉的悲劇。
第三，建議民眾儘可能地學習CPR急救知識，這樣在救援人員感到之前，可以爭取急救時間。
6.在爾灣，常常發生的幾種救援情況是什麼？該如何避免？
第一，緊急醫療救援。家中有老人的家庭，可以給老人購買一個佩戴在脖子上的automatic paramedic alarm，以便他們在家中摔倒或其他意外時，無法拿到電話時，可以緊急按下胸前掛鏈的按鈕進行報警。
第二，交通事故。爾灣的道路很寬闊，但是同時車速也很快。近些年來不斷湧入的新人口加劇了爾灣交通的負擔與事故發生率。請所有司機注意自己的最高車速，不要酒後駕車。
第三，公司工傷事故。一些公司在生產作業當中會發生人員傷害，因此要求工作人員要嚴格按照生產操作標準執行，注意自身安全。