On Air: Fukuoka City Information/2015.11.14(Sat)/09:00～

Last year, there were 307 fire disasters in Fukuoka city. From this point on into the year, the air will get drier and it will be even easier for fires to catch. Take a moment and check up on your fire safety preparedness at work and at home.

The number one cause of fires in Fukuoka for 26 years running are fires lit by people. Last year’s statistics say that the number of cases increased between October and December. Please be careful with open flames and setting fires. Don’t leave easily combustible items around your home and keep areas well lit at night as a way of discouraging man made fire disasters.

It’s also important to take care with gas burners. 70% of fire accidents involving gas burners are due to people leaving the burner unattended. Please be sure not to leave lit burners unattended. When fires break out from oil in pots, put them out using a fire extinguisher and squeeze out a damp towel and cover the entire pot.

Also, the number of fires resulting from tobacco this year already outnumbers the number of cases from last year. More people are smoking outside on their balconies. A significant number of fires have resulted from this. And, definitely do not to smoke in bed, do not let cigarette butts pile up, and be sure to fully extinguish lit tobacco products in metal receptacles filled with water.

There have been 73 cases of fires resulting from space heaters in the last five years, 52 of which have been from electric heaters. Fires often occur when people use heaters while they sleep. For example, when people roll over in their sleep and their futon comes in contact with the heater. And, there are many examples of fires occurring with kerosene heaters when people add kerosene to lit heaters.

Home fire detectors offer advanced warning. Bedrooms and stairwells are required by law to have smoke detectors installed. However, when alarms sit for a long period of times, there is a danger of battery powered devices stopping. Check the period of time your fire alarms have been installed. In principle, make a point of changing them every 10 years or of at least testing their functionality.

As we move from autumn into winter, we enter the season for fire accidents. Please take the time to protect yourself against fires and to educate yourself about what to do in the case a fire does occur. For further information, please contact the Fire Prevention Department of the Fire Prevention Bureau by phone at 092-725-6611.