Manga introducing work of firefighters to be created

December 27, 2017

Tokyo- Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency will create in fiscal 2018 an educational material including manga for elementary school children to learn about the job of firefighters, informed sources have said.

The agency plans to make 100,000 copies for distribution to fire departments throughout the country. The agency has sought 16 million yen to cover necessary expenses under the government's draft budget for the year starting next April.

The teaching material will be used when firefighters visit elementary schools to give lectures.

Such lectures usually teach children how to use a fire extinguisher and an automated external defibrillator.

With the new material, the agency hopes that a number of children will learn about the work and role of firefighters at a time when North Korea is repeatedly test-firing ballistic missiles and there are concerns that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics could become targets of terrorist attacks, the sources said.

The teaching material featuring manga will tell children that a firefighter's job covers a wide range of responsibilities, including rescuing people in times of disasters and guiding people to evacuation when the country is attacked by missiles, as well as putting out fires.

It will also cover actions that people should take when the country's J-Alert early warning system goes off.

The agency also aims to deepen parents' understanding of the job of firefighters through children bringing home the material.

In addition, the agency hopes that the teaching material will encourage children to have a dream of becoming firefighters, the sources said.

According to a fiscal 2016 survey by Dai-ichi Life Insurance Co. asking elementary school and younger children what they want to be when they grow up, firefighter did not make it into the top 10 list among boys, whereas police officer ranked third.

The agency will include interviews with firefighters in the teaching material, aiming to inspire children. Jiji Press