Regulations on the Ranks of Fire and Rescue Personnel of the PRC — Full English Translation (2018)

Adopted at the 6th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Thirteenth National People’s Congress on October 26, 2018

Effective: October 27, 2018

Table of Contents

Chapter I — General Provisions

Article 1 — These Regulations are formulated in accordance with the Constitution in order to strengthen the standardization, specialization, and professionalization of the national comprehensive fire and rescue force, enhance the sense of responsibility, sense of honor, and organizational discipline of fire and rescue personnel, and facilitate the command, management, and lawful performance of duties by the national comprehensive fire and rescue force.

Article 2 — The national comprehensive fire and rescue force shall implement the system of fire and rescue ranks.

The fire and rescue ranks shall be conferred on in-service personnel of the comprehensive fire and rescue force who are included in the state administrative establishment and are under the unified leadership and management of the emergency management department of the State Council.

Article 3 — Fire and rescue ranks are titles and insignia that indicate the identity of fire and rescue personnel and distinguish the grades of fire and rescue personnel, and are the basis for the honor and corresponding treatment conferred by the State on fire and rescue personnel.

Article 4 — As between persons of higher and lower fire and rescue ranks, the person of higher rank shall be the superior. Where a person of higher fire and rescue rank is subordinate in position to a person of lower fire and rescue rank, the person holding a leading position, or the person holding a higher leading position, shall be the superior.

Article 5 — The emergency management department of the State Council shall be in charge of fire and rescue rank work.

Chapter II — Establishment of Fire and Rescue Rank Levels

Article 6 — Fire and rescue ranks shall be established separately for management and command personnel, professional and technical personnel, and firefighters.

Article 7 — The fire and rescue ranks for management and command personnel shall be established in the following three grades and eleven classes:

(1) Director General, Deputy Director General, and Assistant Director General;

(2) Commanders: Senior Commander, Commander First Class, Commander Second Class, and Commander Third Class;

(3) Command Officers: Command Officer First Class, Command Officer Second Class, Command Officer Third Class, and Command Officer Fourth Class.

Article 8 — The fire and rescue ranks for professional and technical personnel shall be established in the following two grades and eight classes, with “professional and technical” prefixed to the fire and rescue ranks:

(1) Commanders: Senior Commander, Commander First Class, Commander Second Class, and Commander Third Class;

(2) Command Officers: Command Officer First Class, Command Officer Second Class, Command Officer Third Class, and Command Officer Fourth Class.

Article 9 — The fire and rescue ranks for firefighters shall be established in the following three grades and eight classes:

(1) Senior Firefighters: Fire Chief First Class, Fire Chief Second Class, and Fire Chief Third Class;

(2) Intermediate Firefighters: Fire Sergeant First Class and Fire Sergeant Second Class;

(3) Junior Firefighters: Fire Sergeant Third Class, Fire Sergeant Fourth Class, and Probationary Fire Sergeant.

Chapter III — Establishment of Fire and Rescue Rank Grades by Position

Article 10 — The fire and rescue ranks of management and command personnel shall be established in accordance with the following position grades:

(1) the principal of the emergency management department of the State Council: Director General;

(2) the principals of the leading and command organs of the fire and rescue force and of the leading and command organs of the forest fire force of the emergency management department of the State Council: Deputy Director General;

(3) the deputies of the leading and command organs of the fire and rescue force and of the leading and command organs of the forest fire force of the emergency management department of the State Council: Assistant Director General;

(4) principal positions at the corps level: Senior Commander;

(5) deputy positions at the corps level: Commander First Class;

(6) principal positions at the detachment level: Commander Second Class;

(7) deputy positions at the detachment level: Commander Third Class;

(8) principal positions at the brigade level: Command Officer First Class;

(9) deputy positions at the brigade level: Command Officer Second Class;

(10) principal positions at the station (squadron) level: Command Officer Third Class;

(11) deputy positions at the station (squadron) level: Command Officer Fourth Class.

Article 11 — The fire and rescue ranks of professional and technical personnel shall be established in accordance with the following position grades:

(1) senior professional and technical positions: from Senior Commander to Commander Third Class;

(2) intermediate professional and technical positions: from Commander First Class to Command Officer Second Class;

(3) junior professional and technical positions: from Commander Third Class to Command Officer Fourth Class.

Article 12 — The fire and rescue ranks of firefighters shall be established in accordance with the following years of service:

(1) those who have served for 24 years or more: Fire Chief First Class;

(2) those who have served for 20 years or more: Fire Chief Second Class;

(3) those who have served for 16 years or more: Fire Chief Third Class;

(4) those who have served for 12 years or more: Fire Sergeant First Class;

(5) those who have served for 8 years or more: Fire Sergeant Second Class;

(6) those who have served for 5 years or more: Fire Sergeant Third Class;

(7) those who have served for 2 years or more: Fire Sergeant Fourth Class;

(8) those who have served for less than 2 years: Probationary Fire Sergeant.

Chapter IV — Initial Conferment of Fire and Rescue Ranks

Article 13 — The conferment of fire and rescue ranks shall be based on the current position, moral character and ability, educational background and degrees, length of service in the current position, and years of service of fire and rescue personnel.

Article 14 — For persons initially serving as management and command personnel or professional and technical personnel, fire and rescue ranks shall be initially conferred in accordance with the following provisions:

(1) persons recruited from graduates of ordinary institutions of higher learning who have obtained junior college or undergraduate degrees shall be conferred the fire and rescue rank of Command Officer Fourth Class; graduate students who have obtained master’s degrees shall be conferred the fire and rescue rank of Command Officer Third Class; graduate students who have obtained doctoral degrees shall be conferred the fire and rescue rank of Command Officer First Class;

(2) persons selected and appointed from firefighters as management and command personnel or professional and technical personnel shall be conferred the corresponding fire and rescue ranks in accordance with the position grades to which they are appointed;

(3) persons transferred from state organs or other rescue forces, or recruited from qualified members of society, shall be conferred the corresponding fire and rescue ranks in accordance with the position grades to which they are appointed.

Article 15 — For persons initially serving as firefighters, fire and rescue ranks shall be initially conferred in accordance with the following provisions:

(1) persons recruited from senior high school graduates, or from students enrolled in or graduates of ordinary institutions of higher learning, shall be conferred the rank of Probationary Fire Sergeant;

(2) persons recruited from discharged soldiers shall have their years of service counted toward their working time, and shall be conferred the corresponding fire and rescue ranks in accordance with Article 12 of these Regulations;

(3) persons recruited from other rescue forces or from members of society with professional skills shall be conferred the corresponding fire and rescue ranks in accordance with the working time in the relevant profession, by reference to persons with equal conditions in the national comprehensive fire and rescue force.

Article 16 — The initial conferment of fire and rescue ranks on management and command personnel and professional and technical personnel shall be approved in accordance with the following authority:

(1) the conferment of Director General, Deputy Director General, and Assistant Director General shall be approved by the Premier of the State Council;

(2) the conferment of Senior Commander, Commander First Class, and Commander Second Class shall be approved by the principal leader of the emergency management department of the State Council;

(3) the conferment of Commander Third Class and Command Officer First Class shall, after obtaining the consent of the emergency management department of the people’s government of the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government, be approved by the principal leader of a unit at the corps level; for personnel of the forest fire force, it shall be approved by the principal leader of the leading and command organs of the forest fire force of the emergency management department of the State Council;

(4) the conferment of Command Officer Second Class, Command Officer Third Class, and Command Officer Fourth Class shall be approved by the principal leader of a unit at the corps level.

Article 17 — The initial conferment of fire and rescue ranks on firefighters shall be approved in accordance with the following authority:

(1) the conferment of Fire Chief First Class, Fire Chief Second Class, and Fire Chief Third Class shall be approved by the principal leaders of the leading and command organs of the fire and rescue force and of the leading and command organs of the forest fire force of the emergency management department of the State Council;

(2) the conferment of Fire Sergeant First Class, Fire Sergeant Second Class, Fire Sergeant Third Class, Fire Sergeant Fourth Class, and Probationary Fire Sergeant shall be approved by the principal leader of a unit at the corps level.

Chapter V — Promotion of Fire and Rescue Ranks

Article 18 — Fire and rescue ranks shall generally be promoted grade by grade in accordance with the adjustment of position grades or the years of service.

Fire and rescue personnel promoted to a higher fire and rescue rank shall be competent in their own work, observe discipline and the law, be honest and devoted to public duty, and be upright in conduct.

Fire and rescue personnel may be promoted to a higher fire and rescue rank only after passing training.

Article 19 — The promotion of fire and rescue ranks of management and command personnel and professional and technical personnel shall generally be consistent with the promotion of their position grades.

The promotion of fire and rescue ranks of firefighters shall be implemented in accordance with Article 12 of these Regulations. For firefighters who pass the national unified entrance examination for ordinary institutions of higher learning and obtain a full-time junior college degree or above, the time spent studying in an ordinary institution of higher learning in accordance with the prescribed schooling period shall be deemed as working time for the purpose of fire and rescue rank promotion, but shall not be counted as seniority.

Article 20 — The promotion of fire and rescue ranks of management and command personnel and professional and technical personnel shall be approved in accordance with the following authority:

(1) promotion to Director General, Deputy Director General, or Assistant Director General shall be approved by the Premier of the State Council;

(2) promotion to Senior Commander or Commander First Class shall be approved by the principal leader of the emergency management department of the State Council;

(3) promotion to Commander Second Class shall, after obtaining the consent of the emergency management department of the people’s government of the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government, be approved by the principal leader of a unit at the corps level; for personnel of the forest fire force, it shall be approved by the principal leader of the leading and command organs of the forest fire force of the emergency management department of the State Council;

(4) promotion to Commander Third Class or Command Officer First Class shall be approved by the principal leader of a unit at the corps level;

(5) promotion to Command Officer Second Class or Command Officer Third Class shall be approved by the principal leader of a unit at the detachment level.

Article 21 — The promotion of fire and rescue ranks of firefighters shall be approved in accordance with the following authority:

(1) promotion to Fire Chief First Class, Fire Chief Second Class, or Fire Chief Third Class shall be approved by the principal leaders of the leading and command organs of the fire and rescue force and of the leading and command organs of the forest fire force of the emergency management department of the State Council;

(2) promotion to Fire Sergeant First Class or Fire Sergeant Second Class shall be approved by the principal leader of a unit at the corps level;

(3) promotion to Fire Sergeant Third Class or Fire Sergeant Fourth Class shall be approved by the principal leader of a unit at the detachment level.

Article 22 — Where fire and rescue personnel have made significant contributions in fire and rescue work and are outstanding in moral character and ability, their fire and rescue ranks may be promoted ahead of schedule.

Chapter VI — Retention, Demotion, and Cancellation of Fire and Rescue Ranks

Article 23 — The fire and rescue ranks of fire and rescue personnel shall be retained after their retirement.

Where fire and rescue personnel withdraw from the fire and rescue force in accordance with state provisions, or are transferred, resign, or are dismissed, their fire and rescue ranks shall not be retained.

Article 24 — Where fire and rescue personnel are transferred to a lower position because they are not competent in their current position, their fire and rescue ranks shall be adjusted to the corresponding rank grade, and the authority for such adjustment shall be the same as the authority for the original rank grade.

Article 25 — Where fire and rescue personnel are subject to demotion or removal from office, their fire and rescue ranks shall be correspondingly demoted, and the authority for such demotion shall be the same as the authority for the original rank grade.

The demotion of fire and rescue ranks shall not apply to Command Officers Fourth Class and Probationary Fire Sergeants.

Article 26 — Where fire and rescue personnel are subject to dismissal, or are sentenced in accordance with the law to deprivation of political rights or to fixed-term imprisonment or a heavier punishment for a crime, their fire and rescue ranks shall be correspondingly cancelled.

Where fire and rescue personnel commit a crime after retirement, the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall apply.

Chapter VII — Supplementary Provisions

Article 27 — The styles and wearing methods of fire and rescue rank insignia shall be formulated by the State Council.

Article 28 — These Regulations shall come into force on October 27, 2018.

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