Replacing Residential Fire Alarms in Municipal Housing（火災警報器更新・英語でのご案内）

The City of Hiroshima will replace residential fire alarms in municipal housing from FY2026 through 2030.

Municipal housing tenants will receive a notice in their mailboxes from the service company contracted by the City of Hiroshima to replace fire alarms. We ask for your kind cooperation in this matter.

What is a residential fire alarm?

When a fire breaks out, you are often alerted to it through your sense of sight or smell. However, relying on your senses is not enough to detect fires in a timely manner, such as fires that occur when you are asleep. That’s why fire alarms are so important: they can detect smoke caused by fires quickly and alert you using sounds or voiceovers. These fire alarms are crucial to protecting the lives of residents in times of emergency and it is recommended that they are replaced once every ten years as they can deteriorate, and their batteries need replacing.

Whose residential fire alarms will be replaced?

The City of Hiroshima will replace the residential fire alarms (that were last replaced about ten years ago) in all municipal housing apartments that do not have automatic fire alarm systems (see below) installed. For more details about when your residential fire alarm will be replaced, please contact the Housing Policy Division at the City of Hiroshima directly (Tel: 082-504-2395; Japanese).

Note: An automatic fire alarm system refers to a system that alerts residents of fires not just in their own apartments, but also inside the apartment building itself. Installation of these systems is mandatory under the Fire Services Act for all housing (such as high-rise collective residential buildings) that fulfil certain criteria.

Information for international residents living in municipal housing

If you are not confident in your Japanese, please contact the Hiroshima City and Aki County International Resident Consultation Service; they can provide interpretation for you (Tel: 082-241-5010).

Languages: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, English, Filipino (consultations in Filipino only available on Fridays and the first and third Wednesday of the month)

Hours: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm (closed on weekends, national holidays, August 6, December 29 through January 3)