November 9th | National Firefighting Day

Fire alarm numbers vary from country to country, but each country chooses the numbers that are easiest for people to remember to form its fire alarm number. The fire alarm number in the United States is 911, and in China it is 119. The reason China chose "119" as its fire alarm number is that "1" was pronounced as "yāo" in ancient times, which sounds the same as the word "要" (yào, meaning "want" or "need").

The month and day numbers of November 9 (11/9) happen to match the fire alarm phone number 119, and this time of year is marked by dry weather and high incidence of fires, with winter fire prevention work being carried out intensively across the country. To enhance the fire safety awareness of the entire population and make "119" more deeply rooted in people's minds, the Ministry of Public Security, building on "119" fire prevention activities conducted in some provinces and cities, initiated the designation in 1992 of November 9 each year as the national "Fire Prevention Day."