City to educate residents in disaster prevention and relief

BEIJING - The municipal civil affairs department has been working to establish a grassroots emergency response mechanism, including training ordinary residents to do disaster prevention and relief work in communities.

In an emergency response guide released online on Tuesday, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs said it was imperative to establish voluntary teams in communities that will be able to provide aid so that losses caused by major accidents and natural disasters can be reduced.

"Almost every community in Beijing now is equipped with a group of amateur firefighters selected from local residents," said Wang Yange, director of the public security section at the subdistrict office of You'anmen.