As local communities weaken due to aging and depopulation, the presence of volunteer fire brigades organized by each district is becoming ever more essential for disaster prevention. During the 3.11 disaster, members of volunteer fire brigades in the three prefectures of the Tohoku region bravely committed themselves to shutting floodgates and guiding people to safety in the face of the imminent onslaught by the huge tsunami. While saving many residents' lives, 254 volunteer firefighters lost their lives. Why did so many of them have to die? Three years on, the program investigates the new “regional disaster prevention” initiatives appearing in disaster-prone Japan.