Precautions to Take and Procedures to Follow

Please make efforts to avoid fire from occurring in the house.

●To Prevent Fires
○Don’t smoke while walking or in bed.
○Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and other places where fire is used.
○Do not leave the kitchen while cooking with oil.
○Don’t keep flammable items close to the stove.
○Check all sources of heat before going out or going to sleep.
○Don’t leave flammable items outdoors around the house.
○Use electrical appliances properly and avoid using a multiple outlet extension.
○Install a household fire alarm in each room. (All houses are obligated to install household fire alarms as of April 1, 2010.)

●If a Fire Breaks Out
If a fire breaks out, warn your neighbors first, shouting “Kaji da!” (“Fire!” in Japanese) and asking them for help. Then dial 119 (the fire department), and do what you can to contain or extinguish the blaze, such as pouring buckets of water over the flames or using a fire extinguisher.
Since many people become ill from inhaling smoke, when evacuating from a building that is on fire, stay low and cover your mouth with a wet handkerchief to prevent smoke inhalation.

Call 119 and call out to your neighbors for help.

What Should I Do? Tips to Extinguish Fire

●If Oil in a Deep Fryer Starts to Burn
○Use a fire-fighting item made exclusively to fight oil fires from a cooking pan. Be sure to insert it slowly from the edge of the pan rather than throwing it onto the hot oil, which is dangerous because the oil may splash out.
○Turn off gas appliances.

Important!
・After extinguishing the fire, don’t forget to close the gas cock to prevent gas leakage.
・Don’t pour water on the pan. (Fire develops rapidly when water is added.)
・Fire extinguishers that are effective for fighting oil-based fires have a yellow mark.

●If a Fire Starts on the Stove
○Use a fire extinguisher.
○If there is no fire extinguisher, cover the stove with a wet bed sheet, or cover the stove with a blanket and pour water over it.

Important!
・Check that the anti-earthquake automatic switching off system is not broken or locked.

●If an Electric Appliance Causes a Fire
○Disconnect the plug and put out the fire with a fire extinguisher or water.
○If the cord is burning or starting to burn, don’t disconnect the plug because you may get an electric shock. Instead, turn off the breaker and quench the fire.

Important!
・You may get an electric shock when you use water to fight fire. Make sure that there is no electricity running.
・Fire extinguishers that are effective for fighting fires originating from electric appliances have a blue mark.

●If a Curtain, a Fusuma (Sliding Screen), or a Shoji (Paper Door) Starts to Burn
○To avoid fire on a curtain from spreading to the ceiling, rip the curtain off first. Start dealing with the fire after the curtain has fallen on the floor.
○Kick fusuma and shoji so that they fall down. Fight the fire with water or a fire extinguisher.
You can subdue the fire temporarily with a blanket or a futon, and then pour water to completely extinguish it.

●Fire Stations in Shinjuku City

○Yotsuya Fire Station
Address: 3-10 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku
Tel: 03-3357-0119

○Ushigome Fire Station
Address: 5-16 Tsukudo-Hachiman-cho, Shinjuku-ku
Tel: 03-3267-0119

○Shinjuku Fire Station
Address: 3-29-4 Hyakunin-cho, Shinjuku-ku
Tel: 03-3371-0119

●How to Use a Fire Extinguisher
Dry chemical extinguisher and strengthened fluid extinguisher

1. Pull off safety pin in upward motion.

2. Unfasten the fire hose and aim its nozzle at the fire.

3. Clutch the lever to release the chemicals.

Coordination Services for the Purchase, Disposal, and Refill of Fire Extinguishers

Inquiries: Community Disaster Prevention Section, Security Affairs Division
Tel: 03-5273-3874
Inquiries: Shinjuku Municipal Disaster Prevention Center
Tel: 03-5361-2460

The City Office offers services for the purchase, disposal, and refill of household fire extinguishers at reasonable rates through cooperative ties with designated companies.
Fliers are available at Branch Offices, the Security Affairs Division, and the Municipal Disaster Prevention Center. Please apply directly with the designated dealers listed in the flier.

April 1, 2023