No.51 City Hall Arson Incident 1

(Inagi Newsletter February 15, 2016 issue)

On November 30th last year, a shocking incident occurred when the City Hall was set on fire. Around 2 PM, a man entered the first floor of the City Hall on a scooter and caused a commotion, prompting staff to notify the police. The man spread a liquid resembling oil, which led to a call to the fire department, and he activated the emergency bell of the indoor fire hydrant to alert the building of the fire hazard. When the police arrived, the man set the fire and brandished a weapon to steal a police car in an attempt to escape, but he was arrested by the police on the premises.
In this incident, the staff's quick action to gather fire extinguishers in preparation for the arson when the man spread the liquid, and their continued operation of the indoor fire hydrant even after the extinguishing agent was depleted, minimized damage and allowed for almost complete suppression of the fire within a few minutes until the fire brigade from the neighboring fire station arrived. Additionally, thanks to the appropriate evacuation guidance by the staff, there were no injuries among citizens or staff, which was a fortunate outcome.
We take pride in the fact that many of our staff are current or former members of the fire brigade, which contributed to these achievements.
This incident appears to be an unjust demand against the legitimate operations of the city, but for any reason, such despicable acts are never acceptable.
In response to this incident, the city has organized the Inagi City Hall Arson Incident Verification Committee to document the details of the incident and recovery efforts, as well as to conduct a survey among staff. Based on the analysis of these results, we have decided to strengthen future safety measures. The verification report from this committee has been published on the City Hall website.
By the way, the City Hall, which is the core of city administration, must also prepare defenses against such violent acts. However, it is also an open facility that many citizens visit, making it difficult to implement complete measures.
Since immediately after the incident, we have deployed security guards for the time being, and we will take measures to maintain the essential functions of city administration and ensure that citizens can use the City Hall with peace of mind during the emergency response and budget planning for the new fiscal year.
Furthermore, this incident has given many staff members an unprecedented experience. We conducted stress checks for all staff immediately after the incident and are providing counseling and other support as needed. We will also strive to create an environment where staff can work with peace of mind.