More than 800 fire fighters from eight fire fighting brigades in Shanghai took part fire fighting exercises on November 9 at Longhua Airport.

The exercises, sponsored by the Shanghai Fire-Fighting Security Commission and the Shanghai Police Bureau, were the largest of its kind held in the city since the birth of New China in 1949.

Seventy-five fire trucks took part in the maneuvers, which tested the skills of Shanghai fire-fighters and their equipment including water cannons, fire extinguishers, and automatic fire alarms.

During the drills, fire-fighters used a Bell-212 helicopter to perform a mock rescue of residents stranded in a building on fire near the airport.

This was reportedly the first time helicopters were used in a simulated fire-fighting exercise in Shanghai.

The exercises were held to mark Shanghai's Fire-Fighting Day.