Japanese hotels to alert guests of imminent fire via SMS

As much as we love SMSing (ok, not as much as this guy) and all the oddities surrounding this now essential part of 21st century life, it often enters our lives in really ridiculous ways. According to Japan Today, the national Fire and Disaster Management Agency is giving software to the nation's hotels so each establishment can alert its guests by SMS or email when there's a fire on the premesis. Apparently the logic goes that elderly hotel guests who leave their phone on vibrate won't hear a normal ring, not to mention a fire alarm klaxon, but will have the presence of mind to check for incoming SMSes. We haven't heard yet if you can text the fire department or the FDMA for help, though.

[Via Techdirt]

[Deluxe @ Dec 5th 2006 1:16AM]

email, not SMS. Very few handsets here even support SMS.

[adrian @ Dec 5th 2006 1:18AM]

So, what if your phone is turned off? (I'm sure Japan has excellent cell phone coverage)

[Travis L. @ Dec 5th 2006 2:13AM]

Here's the SMS you get:

thr is a fre in bldg gt out kthx mgmt.

[Vagrant @ Dec 5th 2006 2:45AM]

This will be great. You see, when I'm out all night singing karoke (ahem) and cannot get back, since the trains don't run until 6am, I can find out if my hotel is on fire and just sleep it off enjoy a rest at another hotel.

[Ben @ Dec 5th 2006 2:48AM]

there is a "i, for one, welcome our..." joke here somewhere......

[Mark @ Dec 5th 2006 3:23AM]

Hmm.. this story leads me to believe that many people in Japan leave their cell phones on even at night (that's when the fire alert notification would be most useful; after all if I'm awake I think I would figure it out on my own that the building's on fire)... I guess I'm in the minority then, by turning off my phone when I go to sleep? Then again even though I live here in Japan, I'm not Japanese.. I'm a yankee ^_^

[Eric Leung @ Dec 5th 2006 4:53AM]

not sure if it would be anymore effective than a regular alarm

[JC @ Dec 5th 2006 8:37AM]

I don't know about you, but if there's a hotel going up in flames around me, the more warnings I get, the better.

[james @ Dec 5th 2006 9:30AM]

You know, email and sms, instead of that pesky alarm system.

[dufus @ Dec 11th 2006 5:12PM]

theres not better way to find out the guy in 307 is burning than hearing the crazy frog...