A geological engineer in Chongqing who has devoted 12 years of his life to detecting geological disasters was awarded this year's Best Emergency Worker in Chongqing on Sunday.

Chen Zhirong was born in Changji, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in 1987. After graduation in 2011, he became a senior engineer at Nanjiang Geological Team of Chongqing Bureau of Geology and Minerals Exploration, a renown local comprehensive geological team. He started his career as a geological engineer in Wulong district in 2015.

"It is a tough job," said Chen, adding that whenever heavy downpours occur or when he receives a public report for danger, he patrols the wild in 11 remote villages and towns in Wulong, particularly in the flood seasons. A rough estimate showed that so far he has walked over 56,500 kilometers.

"But every time I successfully get the folks out of the disasters, I feel even more motivated," Chen said.

With his keen eye for potential danger and analytical approach to safety, and with the help of the latest monitoring technologies and equipment, he has been able to eliminate and alert nearly 200 potential geological dangers, including landslides, collapses, and ground subsidence's and fissures to save around 750 lives over the years.