Treat reports of fires with a sense of urgency

12/20/2007

In the old days, the way fire alarm bells were rung in Japan differed depending on the degree of danger. If a fire was far away, the bell was hit slowly with an interval between each clang. It is said that as a fire got nearer, the bell was rung faster and when it was close to hand, a bar was put inside the bell and rattled.

How did the fire official who received the emergency 119 call from a sales clerk at the Urawa-Kagetsu store of Don Quijote Co. three years ago judge the seriousness of the blaze?
In December 2004, the discount outlet in Saitama was torched by an arsonist. The families of the three employees who burned to death sued the city on grounds that the fire department failed to properly respond to the call.

The call was made by a female contract employee. It is true that the response of the official, which was recorded on tape, gives an unhurried impression. "So you say there's a fire?" "What is your name?" Personally, although I have never called 119 to report a fire, I was surprised that the official sounded kind of rude.

There were no words of advice urging the caller to evacuate the building, either. The woman probably felt that her life was in danger. One minute and 49 seconds after she made the call, she put down the phone saying, "I'm sorry but I'm leaving." Those were her last words. Listening to the recording, I felt as if I could hear the ticking of the second hand that kept eating away at her chance for survival.

I once heard from a firefighter who took part in the rescue operation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States that firefighters have "two hearts." One is a heart that beats rapidly to bolster one's spirit and the other one beats regularly to keep oneself calm. Was the exchange in question a manifestation of the official's professional composure or a lack of a sense of urgency?

I heard that there is no nationwide standard for responses to 119 calls. Winter is the time of year when fires occur frequently. In the event that we have to report a fire, we must remember to give first consideration to saving ourselves. I also urge fire officials who receive emergency calls to listen carefully to the urgency as professionals.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 19(IHT/Asahi: December 20,2007)