MBTA ad aims to reduce fire risk

Reminding riders to use the refuse and recycling bins at MBTA subway stations, Fraser yesterday recorded a public service announcement to assist the T’s effort to combat tunnel fires.

The recording, which will begin playing hourly at subway stations starting today and tomorrow, follows a pair of fires that broke out at roughly the same time Sept. 16 in Red and Orange line tunnels. The fires forced the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to evacuate multiple stations and subway cars and shut down both lines for several hours.

One of the fires was ignited in stray trash, the other by an aging and faulty electrical cable, according to MBTA officials. Trying to address both causes and prevent fires, MBTA officials yesterday unveiled a three-part plan:

■ A public-awareness campaign, including Fraser’s message and new signs, reminding T riders to use the trash and recycling bins found on every platform.

■ Vigilance on the part of subway and tunnel workers to report and collect trash. The T is reminding all subway employees to notify dispatchers when they see trash, so a cleanup crew can be sent, and directing all overnight track-maintenance workers to spend at least one hour per shift cleaning trash from problem areas. Supervisors will conduct weekly inspections, according to an MBTA spokesman.

■ Inspection and replacement of outdated electrical cables. T officials have ordered their power department to inspect thousands of feet of cable and identify sections that should be upgraded, to be replaced with wiring that has a longer lifespan and produces less smoke in a fire.

“ The MBTA system is 112 years old and carries hundreds of thousands of people to work, school, and events safely every day,’’ James A. Aloisi Jr., the state’s secretary of transportation, and William A. Mitchell Jr., the MBTA’s acting general manager, wrote in a letter to the T Riders Union explaining the new plan.

“ Our priority is and will continue to be maintaining the system we have and investing in repairs that will protect public safety and improve reliability and service.’’

The public service campaign is being prepared by in-house staff and carries no additional cost for the financially strained transportation authority.

An estimate for the cost of wiring replacement will follow after the inspection, said Joe Pesaturo, a T spokesman.

Subway supervisors estimated there are eight to 10 such fires a year, making last week’s simultaneous blazes unusual, Pesaturo said.

Trash dropped on platforms and on tracks can be whisked into tunnels by trains, accumulating and providing tinder for fires that can be started by wheel sparks, carelessly discarded cigarette butts, or other ways, said Steve MacDonald, a Fire Department spokesman.

Fraser’s announcement informs riders about the potential for trash to ignite.

“So help us keep the subway clean and safe for everyone by dropping that coffee cup in the trash or newspaper in the recycling receptacle,’’ the commissioner says.

“With your thoughtfulness and cooperation, we can ensure that everyone’s subway ride is a safe and reliable one.’’