The Chinese government has organised volunteer firefighting brigades at Tibetan monasteries, China's official Xinhua news agency has reported, as the death toll from protest self-immolations in ethnically Tibetan areas continues to climb.

At least nine people have burned themselves to death this month alone, but the Xinhua article, Firemen in Monk's Robes, does not explicitly mention the self-immolations.

It describes a new 18-man fire team at the 538-monk Tisannyi monastery in Aba prefecture, Sichuan province. "They are responsible for regular safety checks, patrols and teaching other monks about firefighting," the Aba fire brigade's chief, Liao Jun, told Xinhua. "But most important of all, they are expected to give first aid in emergencies."

According to Tibetan rights groups, at least 77 Tibetans have set fire to themselves since 2009 in protest at Chinese rule; 64 of them died. The frequency of self-immolations spiked during China's 18th party congress, a once-in-a-decade leadership transition that ended last week. Two Tibetans – one in Gansu province and another in Qinghai province – self-immolated on Tuesday.

"There is a lot of paranoia among officials," said Tsering Tsomo, president of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Dharamsala. "They know something like this can happen anytime." She added that Tibetans in many parts of western China needed to present two government-issued documents when purchasing flammable liquids.

The wave of self-immolations has been concentrated around the Kirti monastery, a 600-year-old temple in Aba prefecture, where monks sparked large-scale anti-Chinese riots last spring. "It looks to me like on the face of it that the self-immolations are really spreading – it's not just about Kirti monastery anymore, it's about the influence that Kirti has had on other, smaller monasteries," Tsomo said.

Government officials helped Tisannyi monastery set up its fire brigade in April, according to Xinhua, "following fires that have broken out with increasing frequency in recent years". The government has replaced Tisannyi's old electrical wiring, given the monastery new fire extinguishers and "fire prevention education boards," and built a 1,000 cubic-metre reservoir in the area.

The Aba government has since designated three more of the prefecture's monasteries – Dagcha, Mewa, and Changlie – as "pilot temples" in its fire prevention programme. Aba prefecture has been the site of almost half of all Tibetan self-immolations since 2009.

"Monasteries and convents face greater risks than other buildings in terms of fire safety," the article said, adding that many are built with flammable materials and located far away from professional fire brigades. Tisannyi monastery has caught fire "multiple times since 2009", it said.

When reached by phone, a man at Markang's public security bureau recommended contacting the town's fire department for details, but would not provide a number. A man at direct inquiries said the Markang fire department's number was "confidential".

According to the New York-based International Campaign for Tibet, two Tibetans burned themselves to death on 17 November in Rebkong, Qinghai province. Authorities have stepped up the area's military presence and warned locals against attending cremation ceremonies for protesters. Yet "hundreds, sometimes thousands" of Tibetans have shown up anyway, according to the organisation.

"We are looking for the new Chinese leadership to urgently reduce the dominance of the security apparatus in Tibet, a factor that has intensified tensions and dangers, increasing the risk of more self-immolations," said Mary Beth Markey, president of the International Campaign for Tibet.