STORY: Discovering Tibet with FPV drone: Firefighters in Potala Palace
DATELINE: July 12, 2023
LENGTH: 00:04:46
LOCATION: LHASA, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of firefighters' life in Tibet

STORYLINE:

The Potala Palace, Lhasa
Tibet, China

Voice of Norbu Tsering, Head of fire brigade at Potala Palace
"Here is the Potala Palace, a name card of Tibet and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Being a firefighter here, we can't be negligent at any time."

A fire drill is taking place

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): NORBU TSERING, Head of fire brigade at Potala Palace
"Potala 00, now a simulated fire is happening at the warehouse in section A. Go to handle it."

"Roger!"

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): NORBU TSERING, Head of fire brigade at Potala Palace
"Be careful while driving."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): NORBU TSERING, Head of fire brigade at Potala Palace
"I'm Norbu Tsering. I have been working as the head of the fire brigade at the Potala Palace for seven years. This fire brigade is a role model for firefighters in Tibet and has been awarded several times. It's an honor for me to work here and safeguard the Potala Palace.

It's been almost 40 years since our brigade was founded in 1984.

At the beginning, it was a small squad with about only ten members who all lived in a dormitory. With the efforts of generations of firefighters, the team keeps growing.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): Firefighters at Potala Palace
"Number off. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve."

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): NORBU TSERING, Head of fire brigade at Potala Palace
"We get up at 7 o'clock every morning."

SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): NORBU TSERING, Head of fire brigade at Potala Palace
"The firefighters arrive at their posts at 8 a.m. and then they begin daily patrols covering every corner. Let's check if it's in normal operation. How about the parameters?"

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): Firefighter at Potala Palace
"The parameters are right. No overload and malfunction have been detected."

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): NORBU TSERING, Head of fire brigade at Potala Palace
"How about the alert system connecting with mobile phones?"

SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): Firefighter at Potala Palace
"We keep monitoring it. Recently we haven't received any alarm call on the phone."

SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): NORBU TSERING, Head of fire brigade at Potala Palace
"Good. Are there any false smoke alarms in the dormitory of monks?"

SOUNDBITE 11 (Chinese): Firefighter at Potala Palace
"The detector may issue false alarms if it's covered by dust. The recent one happened days ago. It reads 14.4 degrees Celsius."

SOUNDBITE 12 (Chinese): NORBU TSERING, Head of fire brigade at Potala Palace
"The temperature is normal."

We patrol every corner of the palace until it closes to the public in the afternoon. At night, we station firefighters inside the halls. It has been a routine work since the brigade was founded in 1984.

The Potala Palace is quite large and receives huge numbers of tourists. It attracts high attention.

In addition to daily patrols, we also engage in rescue work. We offer help to tourists when they suffer severe high-altitude sickness during tours.

We will meet all the emergent needs of people.

The firefighters here come from all over the country. They love their work and Tibet from the bottom of their hearts.

Remain true to our original aspiration and inherit the spirit. Our brigade has been established for nearly 40 years. We will stick to the post and pass on the spirit of the elder generations of firefighters in the Potala Palace.

Discovering Tibet. This is our story.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lhasa, China.
(XHTV)