Japanese Police and Fire Department Events Make Safety Fun!
(Photo courtesy of Chigasaki Fire Department)
Japan is known as a very safe country. Every day, Japanese police officers and firefighters work hard to maintain this safety. At the police and fire stations where they work, community events aimed at kids are hosted. At these events, those same heroes who come to the rescue when you’re in trouble make learning about safety easy. Through various hands-on experiences, kids can learn the importance of safety and community cooperation while having fun.
Getting Up Close With Police Officers and Firefighters
At police and fire station community events, you can see police cars and fire engines up close and in action. Police officers show off special skills on their motorcycles, and firefighters display their firefighting drills and rescue operations. Kids can try riding in real police cars and motorcycles, fire engines, and ambulances. By taking a commemorative photo while wearing a police or firefighter’s uniform, you can keep something to always remember that day by. Kids can also learn about the difficulties of being a police officer or firefighter by playing a game where you try to spray a target with fire hose, or by going 40 meters (about 130 feet) into the air on a ladder truck.
Left: In the Fukuoka Prefectural Police Motorcycle Safety Driving Competition, officers compete in safety techniques. (Photo courtesy of Iizuka City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
Right: A commemorative photo taken while wearing police uniforms (Photo: Chiba Prefectural Police)
Top: In the Fukuoka Prefectural Police Motorcycle Safety Driving Competition, officers compete in safety techniques. (Photo courtesy of Iizuka City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
Bottom: A commemorative photo taken while wearing police uniforms (Photo: Chiba Prefectural Police)
Left: Aim for a target in the water-spraying challenge.
Right: Using harmless smoke, this room lets you safely experience being in a smoky room. The smoke inside is so thick that you can’t see more than one meter (about 3 feet) ahead.
Top: Aim for a target in the water-spraying challenge.
Bottom: Using harmless smoke, this room lets you safely experience being in a smoky room. The smoke inside is so thick that you can’t see more than one meter (about 3 feet) ahead.
Left: Take a commemorative photo wearing a firefighter uniform and experience riding on a 40-meter (roughly 130-foot) ladder truck.
Right: Experience extinguishing a fire using VR (virtual reality) or join a workshop to make wooden clappers used in Japan to remind people about fire prevention measures.
Top: Take a commemorative photo wearing a firefighter uniform and experience riding on a 40-meter (roughly 130-foot) ladder truck.
Bottom: Experience extinguishing a fire using VR (virtual reality) or join a workshop to make wooden clappers used in Japan to remind people about fire prevention measures.
Learning More About Crime Prevention and Road Safety
At police events, you can also learn about crime prevention. For example, by playing a crime prevention quiz game with questions like “What should you do when a stranger tries to talk to you?” or “What kinds of things make some places dangerous?” you can learn while having fun. You can also try out the work of a police officer by joining a forensic investigation experience, where you collect fingerprints and use real forensic tools. In a traffic safety simulator, you can learn about dangerous situations you may encounter while riding a bicycle. Police officers make things easy to understand with demonstrations, so not only will you make memories, but you will also have a valuable experience learning about safety.
Left: Have fun learning about crime prevention through quiz games. (Photo: Chiba Prefectural Police)
Right: Learn road safety with a bicycle simulator. (Photo: Chiba Prefectural Police)
Top: Have fun learning about crime prevention through quiz games. (Photo: Chiba Prefectural Police)
Bottom: Learn road safety with a bicycle simulator. (Photo: Chiba Prefectural Police)
Learn about crime prevention and join real forensic investigation activities like collecting fingerprints. (Photo courtesy of Aichi Prefectural Police Department)
Experience Special Life-Saving Vehicles Firsthand
Japanese fire engines and ambulances are compact so they can be used on Japan’s narrow roads, and they are highly technologically advanced. Japanese fire engines have remote-controlled ladders and powerful pumps, so they can put out fires and provide aid even in high-rise buildings. Japanese ambulances have medical equipment to help patients, such as heart massage devices and devices that deliver oxygen to the body. At fire station events, you can ride in these vehicles and receive training on heart massage devices and AEDs (a medical device that automatically sends electrical pulses to the heart to help it to start beating normally again). Crammed with technology and cool devices, these vehicles have been specially designed for the unique characteristics of the Japanese region to allow people to live in safety.
Left: A mini fire engine that can be used on narrow roads
Right: An ambulance that people can try riding in
Top: A mini fire engine that can be used on narrow roads
Bottom: An ambulance that people can try riding in
Left: While experiencing riding in a firetruck, firefighters give instructions that are easy to understand.
Right: Learn how to perform cardiac massage correctly and how to use an AED.
Top: While experiencing riding in a firetruck, firefighters give instructions that are easy to understand.
Bottom: Learn how to perform cardiac massage correctly and how to use an AED.
Left: A typical Japanese fire engine is equipped with various tools and machinery to put out fires as quickly as possible, and it is sized to fit the roads in Japan. At fire station events, you can see them up close and experience riding in them.
Right: Rescue vehicles are equipped with machinery such as cranes and winches for saving lives.
Top: A typical Japanese fire engine is equipped with various tools and machinery to put out fires as quickly as possible, and it is sized to fit the roads in Japan. At fire station events, you can see them up close and experience riding in them.
Bottom: Rescue vehicles are equipped with machinery such as cranes and winches for saving lives.
Japan is a country that experiences many earthquakes that shake the ground violently, so it is important for people to be prepared. Some events feature a vehicle called a "tremor simulator" that lets you experience the shaking of an earthquake. Inside the vehicle, you can safely experience a range of earthquake tremors, from small to large. The largest tremor, which has actually happened in Japan, is very intense, and you can feel the fear of being in an earthquake. Through this experience, you can learn things like how to protect your head and both the difficulty and importance of securing a safe place. Experiencing the kind of shaking that has caused great damage to Japan in the past is a helpful way to prepare for a major earthquake. For people who have never felt a large tremor firsthand, experiencing what it’s like to be unable to move during the shaking can provide new understanding.
Left: A vehicle that simulates the shaking of an earthquake
Right: A family clings to a table as they experience tremors so strong that they can not stand up.
Top: A vehicle that simulates the shaking of an earthquake
Bottom: A family clings to a table as they experience tremors so strong that they can not stand up.
The Roots of Firefighting in Japan at New Year's Firefighting Events
At Japanese firefighting events, one thing you might see is the long-standing hashigonori or “ladder-climbing” display. Hashigonori is a traditional skill in which firefighters nimbly climb a ladder about six meters (about 20 feet) tall—tall enough to reach a second-floor window of a house—and perform acrobatic stunts. Japanese firefighters in the olden days, called “hikeshi,” had incredible physical abilities that they used to rescue their communities, so they have become symbols of firefighting and rescue work. Every year in early January, a firefighting event called “dezomeshiki” is held. The latest fire engines are lined up and large-scale drills are performed, like synchronized water hose spraying. Among the events, the traditional skill of hashigonori continues to be performed to this day.
Left: Synchronized water hose spraying at a dezomeshiki, a firefighting event held in early January.
Right: Hashigonori, a display of ladder-climbing skills (Photo courtesy of Chigasaki Traditional Firefighting Preservation Society)
Top: Synchronized water hose spraying at a dezomeshiki, a firefighting event held in early January.
Bottom: Hashigonori, a display of ladder-climbing skills (Photo courtesy of Chigasaki Traditional Firefighting Preservation Society)
A Culture That Protects the Whole Community
In Japan, entire communities work together actively to prevent fires. Community events at fire stations teach the importance of cooperation not only among volunteer firefighters, but among all members of the community. For example, around the end of the year, neighborhood patrols are held. Chanting “take precautions against fires,” the fire brigade and local volunteers go around the neighborhood raising awareness to prevent fires. The air is dry in Japanese winters, causing many fires in the past, so these events came to be held at the end of the year. They are held at night because fire is often used for preparing dinner, but nowadays they are also used to prevent crime at the end of the year when many people are away from their homes.
A neighborhood night patrol (Photo courtesy of Ogawa Higashigaoka Neighborhood Association, Kodaira City)
Through cool demonstrations and interactive experiences, police and fire station community events make police officers and firefighters feel like local heroes. By sharing what you learn at these events with your family and friends, you can raise awareness about road safety, crime prevention, and disaster prevention every day. And by preparing for emergencies and cooperating with the whole community in crime and disaster prevention, families can support the safety of Japan.