The team dispatched by the fire brigade in Pingtan county in April has been going door-to-door in the town of Tancheng with the aim of increasing fire prevention awareness.

The nine members of the team are all volunteers chosen from the communities of Guishan and Hongshan, which are both pilot zones for the fire safety prevention campaign.

The head of the local fire brigade said that the nine volunteers are all fluent in Mandarin Chinese and also in the Pingtan dialect, which allows them to communicate with local residents.

The team has visited the two communities two or three times every month to conduct their campaign, offering advice such as identifying fire hazards.

Xue Bifeng, one of the volunteers, said that electronic appliances such as TV sets and electric cookers should be unplugged when they are not in use.

Wen Qishou, a local resident, said that – following the team's suggestion - he has now placed a container of sand by the front door of his home in case of fire.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Niva Whyman