On 28 October 2026, the Kyoto University International Students Information Team (KUISIT), part of the Academic Affairs Department, held its fall semester disaster prevention workshop for international students with support from the Kyoto Prefectural International Center and the Sakyo Fire Department Shishigatani Branch.
In the first part, Mr Rudy Salgarolo, managing member of Kyōnect LLC, delivered a lecture covering topics such as Japan's emergency alert levels, actions to take during a disaster, and daily preparedness measures, including putting together an emergency go-bag.
The second part consisted of an automated external defibrillator (AED) training session and, for those who expressed interest, a fire extinguishing exercise using VR and training extinguishers. In the AED session, participants first received instructions from firefighters from the Sakyo Fire Department on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) procedures and the use of defibrillators. They then took turns practicing chest compressions and AED operation. Advice from the firefighters included the following: "If you find an injured or sick person, check for a response and call out loudly to people nearby for help. Then, call 119." Participants later shared comments such as: "The step-by-step demonstrations and clear explanations made the procedures very easy to understand. They were extremely helpful," and "I now understand how to use an AED."
The organizers hope that the participating students deepened their understanding of the importance of preparing for disasters on a daily basis to protect themselves and of promptly recognizing people in need of assistance and cooperating with others to help them.
