Japanese Town Introduces Multilingual Firefighters
What would you do if you were in an emergency situation in a foreign country, and you couldn't speak the local language?
How would you know what to do? You wouldn't be able to ask your neighbors for help, and you wouldn't understand the instructions from local emergency services.
Sounds scary, doesn't it?
That's the situation one town in Japan's Kanagawa prefecture is preparing for by introducing a new, multilingual squad of volunteer firefighters.
The industrial town of Aikawa has around 3,400 foreign residents from over 45 different countries, and these make up 8.6% of the town's population. Many of these residents are from countries such as Brazil, Peru, Vietnam and the Philippines.
But now Aikawa has a seven-member, multinational squad of firefighters who can serve as emergency interpreters and translators for those foreign residents.
There are two Brazilian members who can speak Portuguese, one member from Peru who speaks Spanish, one from the Philippines who speaks Tagalog, one from Vietnam who speaks Vietnamese, a Cambodian who speaks Khmer — and one English-speaking Japanese member!
The squad will be able to help foreign residents with limited Japanese ability during emergency situations by speaking to them in their own language. If there is a disaster, the squad will guide evacuations and interpret for foreign residents at evacuation shelters.
At other times, the multilingual squad will take part in firefighting drills, town events and public relations activities.
On July 7, the town held a ceremony for the new squad during which they received their new uniforms and letters of appointment.
The town mayor, Yutaka Onozawa, told them that multilingual firefighting squads are unusual in Japan, but would be important for promoting multicultural harmony.
After the ceremony, the new squad took part in a lifesaving course.
The Vietnamese squad member, Nguyen Dinh Nguyen, said he wanted to help many people who have trouble communicating during emergencies such as disasters.
