Overview of the 2018
White Paper on Fire Service

Materials created by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency weretranslated by the International Fire Service Information Center

Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA)

(Special Feature 1) The Disaster Damage and Response in the Heavy Rain in July 2018
[Extent of the Damage] During the "Heavy Rain in July 2018," floods andlandslides occurred due to prolonged recordbreaking heavy rain and the flooding of rivers invarious places.
 Widespread damage occurred, including 224 deaths, 8
missing people (as of November 6, 2018) and morethan 50,000 building damages, and the number offatalities reached a record high for storm and flood
damage in the Heisei era.
Mabi-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama(Courtesy by the Tokyo Fire Department)[Activities of Firefighting Agencies] The local fire departments, volunteer fire corps, prefectural firefighting support teams andNational Fire Service Team (dispatched to Okayama Prefecture, Hiroshima Prefecture, Ehime
Prefecture, and Kochi Prefecture) cooperated with the Self-Defense Force (SDF), the police
etc. to provide evacuation measure for the victims, and conduct search and rescue formissing people.
 A total of 3,713 units of National Fire Service Team containing 15,287 members weredispatched to the four prefectures and rescued 397 people over the 26 days from July 6 to 31 (thescale of the operation was ranked after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the 2016
Kumamoto earthquakes).
 In light of the fact that widespread damage and a great number of casualties were anticipated andthat the government had established an emergency center, it was decided to dispatch a series of
National Fire Service Team in accordance with the instructions of the FDMA Commissioner(for the second time since the Great East Japan Earthquake).
 In the affected areas, volunteer fire corps removed earth and sand, conducted local patrols
and acted as lookouts in dangerous places at risk of landslide over an extended period.
 In Kure City, Hiroshima, one volunteer fire corps member was killed on duty due to beingcaught in a debris flow.

Search activity utilizing amphibious buggies(Courtesy by Osaka Municipal Fire Department)

Rescue operation using lifeboats in Mabi-cho,Kurashiki City
(Courtesy by Kurashiki Fire Bureau)

Safety confirmation and search
activities by the volunteer fire corps(Courtesy by Kurashiki Fire Bureau)[Lessons from Torrential Rain Damage] In light of the lessons learned from this disaster, the best ways for regional public organizations
to transmit information to warn the residents to evacuate, the preparation of a means ofcommunication such as home receivers for the disaster information wireless broadcast
system, the enhancement of emergency drills by local governments, and the development
and strengthening of voluntary disaster prevention groups were all considered in cooperation
with the ministries and agencies concerned, including the Cabinet Office.
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(Special Feature 2) The Disaster Damage and Response in Recent Earthquakes
Earthquake Centered in Northern Osaka

Time and date of occurrence: 07:58
on June 18, 2018
Maximum seismic intensity:
6 lower (Magnitude: 6.1)

[Extent of the Damage] Casualties including 6 deaths and more than 50,000 building
damages (as of November 6, 2018) occurred around the area struck by
the violent shocks including Takatsuki City, where an elementary school
pupil going to school was caught in the collapse of a concrete-block wall.
 A lot of damage occurred to lifeline utilities such as electricity, gas andwater supply, with transportation including railways also being affectedstranding many commuters.
 The level crossings were blocked for a prolonged period and hinderedemergency vehicle traffic.

Status of railway stoppages in Osaka City

(Courtesy by the Osaka prefectural government)[Activities of Firefighting Agencies] Many emergency calls to 119 or local fire departments started to be made right after the earthquakeand each fire department immediately conducted firefighting, rescue operations andambulance services.
 Volunteer fire corps conducted firefighting and patrols, removing concrete-block walls
collapsed by the earthquake and eliminating road obstacles, which started just after theearthquake.
I

buri

2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake

Time and date of occurrence: 03:07 on September 6, 2018
Maximum seismic intensity: 7 (Magnitude: 6.7)

[Extent of the Damage] Large-scale landslides occurred in Atsuma-cho, where aseismic intensity of 7 was observed.
 In Kiyota-ku, in the City of Sapporo, liquefaction
caused great damage to houses and roads.
 Casualties including 41 deaths and more than 10,000
building damages occurred (as of November 6,2018).
 Power plants in all areas of Hokkaido Prefecture
stopped its operation, and prolonged outages occurred
all over the prefecture.
Damage due to the landslides in Atsuma-cho[Activities of Firefighting Agencies](Courtesy by Kawasaki City Fire Department) The local fire departments, volunteer fire corps,
prefectural firefighting support teams and National Fire Service Team cooperated with the SDF,
the police etc. to provide evacuation measure for the victims, and conduct search and rescue
for missing people.
 The National Fire Service Team, made up of a total of 642 units containing 2,632 members,
rescued 24 people over the 5 days from September 6 to 10. Since it was impossible for the Teamsfrom Honshu to be dispatched overland, they were dispatched to the affected areas using private
ferries and the Air SDF’s transport aircraft.
 The volunteer fire corps started conducting patrols and acting as lookouts in dangerous
places at risk of landslide, and supporting the running of the evacuation centers soon after theearthquake.

Lessons from the Disaster Damage
 Emergency inspections will be conducted to regional public organizations’ emergency means ofcommunication such as a regional public organization's satellite communication channel and the stepup measures will be implemented based on the results.
 For measures taken by regional public organizations, Special Financial Measures towards Local
Governments will be used to promote the improvement of emergency power sources and theearthquake-proofing of public facilities.
2

(Special Feature 3) Strengthening the Safe Operation System of Fire andDisaster Prevention Helicopters[Overview of Fire and Disaster Prevention Helicopter Crashes] On August 10, 2018, the Gunma prefectural disaster prevention
helicopter "Haruna" crashed during terrain skills training, killing
all nine rescue members on board.
 In addition, three fire and disaster prevention helicopters havecrashed since 2009 killing 17 firefighting personnel on duty.
(March 2017: Nagano Prefecture; July 2010: Saitama
Prefecture; and September 2009: Gifu Prefecture)[Avoidance Measure to Helicopter Crash]

A meeting of the investigative commission in FY2017

 In light of the crash in Nagano Prefecture, the investigative commission compiled a report in 2018,
which recommended constant utilization of the helicopter movement management system,
safety improvement measures including the introduction of a two-pilot system, enhancing andstrengthening aerial fire and disaster prevention systems including strengthening the mutual
support system, and financial support to train and secure helicopter pilots, with urgent
implementation being advised.
 In light of the crash in Gunma Prefecture (the cause of which is under investigation by the Japan
Transport Safety Board, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), a review of thesafety management systems and early implementation of the recommendations above wererequired while FDMA interviewed with Gunma Prefectural Government on the implementation
status of the recommendations.
 Further measures for the operating organizations to put into practice, strengthening the cooperation
with other ministries and agencies, necessary financial measures, etc. will all be considered.

(Special Feature 4) Promotion of Integration of Fire Department[Revision to the Basic Guidelines for Integration of Fire Department etc.]
 Integration of fire department is an extremely effective measure to secure and enhance
firefighting capacity.
 Since the amendment to the Fire and Disaster Management Organization Act in 2006, efforts havebeen made over 10 years to achieve certain results such as the realization of integration of fire
department in 52 areas, so that the number of fire departments is 728 as of April 1, 2018.
 However, small fire departments with jurisdiction over fewer than 100,000 people still account for
about 60%, and so it is important to promote integration of fire department to maintain andstrengthen the firefighting capacity and to strengthen the systems of small fire departments inview of the future full-scale depopulating society as aging progresses.
 The basic guidelines for integration of fire department were revised to extend the time limit for
promoting integration of fire department for 6 years to April 1, 2024.
 In the first fiscal year, FY2018, municipal fire departments are to analyze their own firefighting
capacity and the need for integration of fire department in order to prepare the "firefighting
capacity card" while prefectural governments are to remake their plans for the promotion of
integration of fire department.
 In areas where it’s difficult to immediately promote integration of fire department, it has been decided
to promote coordination and cooperation for some parts of firefighting activities including joint
operation of commands, and position this in the promotion plan.

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(Special Feature 5) Enhancing and Strengthening Regional Disaster Prevention
Capabilities with Volunteer Fire Corps Playing the Center Role As the center of fire and disaster prevention systems in local areas, the volunteer fire corps
play a major role in ensuring the safety and security of local residents, but the number ofvolunteer fire corps members has been decreasing year after year to 843,667 (a decrease of
6,664 from last year) as of April 1, 2018.
[Policies to Enhance and Strengthen Volunteer Fire Corps](Promoting Enrollment in Volunteer Fire Corps)
 To promote the enrollment of students, women, employees and public officials to join in thevolunteer fire corps, efforts are being made such as the "Volunteer Fire Corps Office Symbol
System" and the "Certification System for Students’ Volunteer Fire Corps Activities.”(Improving Treatment of Volunteer Fire Corps Members)
 The FDMA requests that annual compensation and dispatch allowances be raised, particularly bymunicipalities with low allowances.
(Enhancing and Strengthening Equipment)
 With the aim of enhancing safety equipment like life jackets and rescue equipment,
financial measures for local governments are implemented.
 Fire academies are being provided with equipment for information-gathering activities (offroad motorcycles, drones) and small-capacity pumps which can be easily used by women or
students.
[Measures to Secure Volunteer Fire Corps Members]
 To secure and enhance volunteer fire corps members, other efforts are being promoted
including the further expansion of systems for "members in large-scale disasters".

(Special Feature 6) Promotion of the Active Involvement of Female Firefighting Officials
in Firefighting[Current Status regarding Female Firefighting Officials]
 The percentage of women among the total number of firefighting officials throughout Japan remains
low, 2.7% as of April 1, 2018.
 Therefore the target is to raise the nationwide ratio of female firefighting officials to all firefighting
officials to 5% by the beginning of FY2026.
 Each fire department is to set a numerical target and try to increase personnel systematically.
[Initiatives for Promoting the Active Involvement of Female Firefighting Officials]
 While occupational briefing sessions aimed at female students, etc., are held, support for aworkplace experience for female students given by the local fire departments is continuously
provided.
 In order to systematically promote the development of facilities for women such as bathrooms and nap
rooms, the financial measure for development of these facilities started in FY2016.
 The “System of Advisers for Promoting the Active Involvement of Female
Firefighting Officials,” was newly established in December 2017, in whichhuman resources staff from fire departments which employ more
female firefighting officials are dispatched as advisers to advise on
specific efforts to promote recruitment.
 In March 2018, the "FDMA Guide to Women's Active Involvement,"
which compiles case examples of fire departments making best
efforts, was prepared and provided to fire departments throughout thecountry.
 The “Fire Department Search” website was updated in FY2018 so thateach fire department’s recruitment exam information can be easily
searched for.
 The Facebook page "FDMA -Women’s Active Involvement” was created toshare information through social media.
Female firefighting officials PR poster
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(Special Feature 7) Fire Protection and Safety Measures in Residential
Accommodation Businesses (Vacation Rentals)[Trend of Vacation Rentals]
 The Residential Accommodation Business Act was enforced on June 15, 2018, aimed at the proper
utilization of vacation rentals, to meet the demands of sharply increasing foreign tourists visiting Japanfor accommodation and requests for regional revitalization etc.
 The FDMA promotes the positive popularization of vacation rentals by making the regulations onfire defense equipment more suitable for the actual situation while taking the fire protection andsafety measures necessary to ensure safety in vacation rentals.
[Promotion of Fire Protection and Safety Measures for Vacation Rentals]
 Users of vacation rentals are unfamiliar with
evacuation routes in buildings and are
inexperienced in handling fire equipment,
which makes fire risk further concern.
 It was decided to take measures for fire
protection and safety including the
installation of automatic fire alarm systems
etc. excluding those cases where it would bepossible for the owner of the house to makean emergency response.
[Amendment of Regulations on Fire Defense
Equipment etc.]
 The fire safety regulation was amended toexempt the vacation rental owners frominstalling the required fire safety equipment
such as sprinkler and evacuation guide lightifthevacation
rentalmeets
certain
Leaflet to make more people aware ofpredetermined conditions including having a
the fire protection and safety measures in vacation rentals
safety space in.

(Special Feature 8) Enhancement of Fire and Disaster Prevention
Systems by Utilizing AI and Robots[Direction of Research and Development] The role of science and technology in fire and disaster prevention is becoming increasingly important inresponding to the increasing risk of natural disaster and changing social structure such as the
depopulating society.
 The "Strategy Plan for Advancement of Fire and Disaster Prevention Science and Technology" (revised in
March 2018) focuses on AI and robots as well as promoting social implementation of research tasks.
[Status of Research and Development (National ResearchInstitute of Fire and Disaster)](Research and Development of a Firefighting Robot System by
Utilizing AI Technology)
 When a large-scale disaster occurs at a petrochemical complex
etc., it’s likely that the firefighters will be unable to approach thesite.
 Robots that have high heat resistance and can transmit
video of the disaster situation and perform firefighting
work by spraying water and using other methods have
Prototypes of individual robots
beendevelopedbyutilizingAI
technology.
(Since FY2014)
 An actual deployable system will be completed in FY2018.
(Utilization of Drones in Fire and Disaster Prevention Activities) Technology has been developed to assess the direction ofa sediment flow or the height of the earth surface after adisaster, based on image information from a bird’s-eye
view. These measurements are expected to help ensure safety
in rescue operations..
 Research into further improvements in analysis precision will
be promoted through cooperation with firefighting agencies.

Roughness of the earth’s surface analyzed fromaerial images taken by a drone

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(Special Feature 9) Overseas Promotion of Firefighting Equipment
Conforming to Japanese Standards[Government's Efforts for Overseas Promotion of Japanese Firefighting Equipment] Japanese firefighting equipment conforms to standards and criteria formulated by the FDMA, andis certified through strict inspection by third-party organizations to ensure high quality.
 Overseas promotion of Japanese fire prevention equipment has been carried out especially inSouth East Asian countries, where the equipment standard is undeveloped, to enhance Japaneseindustry’s competitiveness in the region.
[Efforts for Overseas Promotion]
 To support the in-country cooperation system as well as the Japanese companies, a seminar washeld in cooperation between FDMA and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) on
March 20, 2018.
 An introduction leaflet advertising the superiority of Japanese firefighting equipment was
prepared and distributed at the “Tokyo Conference of the International Fire Chiefs’ Association of Asia
(IFCAA)” in May 2018.
 As a way of familiarizing the quality, standards andcertification of Japanese firefighting equipment, the“Memorandum of Cooperation in Firefighting Between
the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications ofJapan and the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam”
was signed on October 8, 2018.
 Overseas promotion of firefighting equipment
conforming to Japanese standards will be carried out
continuously focusing on Southeast Asian countries.
The overseas promotion seminar(Special Feature 10) Response to Heatstroke[Survey on People Taken to a Hospital for Heatstroke] There were 95,137 people taken to hospital for heatstroke in the country between May and
September 2018 (of which 48.1% were elderly people aged 65 or older), and there were 160
deaths (the number of people taken to hospital greatly increased by 79.6% from the previousyear).
 In July, the average monthly temperatures were the highest in eastern Japan and the second
highest in western Japan since statistic records started in 1946, and the number of people
taken to hospital for heatstroke (54,220) and the number of deaths (133) were the largest since2008 when the survey was first taken.
[Efforts for Heatstroke Prevention]
 On the FDMA website and on Twitter, publicawareness of heatstroke prevention is being
raised and the number of people taken to
hospital is being made public.
 In FY2018, in light of the long spell of extremely
hot days in various parts of Japan, at the liaison
conference of heatstroke-related ministries andagencies, Heatstroke Prevention Monthwas decided to be extended to August 31.

Leaflet on HeatstrokeCountermeasures

Sticker for vehicles

 Through cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Health, Labor andWelfare, a “leaflet for the non-Japanese to raise the public awareness of heatstroke
prevention” was prepared which describes how to prevent heatstroke and the necessary items
when going see a doctor.
6Current Status and Activities concerning Fire and Disaster Prevention
Current Status of Fires and Recent Trends (Chapter 1, Section 1)
 The number of fire incidents and number of fatalities from fires have been gradually trending downward
over the past ten years.
• The number of fire incidents in 2017 came to 39,373, with the number of fatalities from these fires coming to
1,456 people.
• The number of fire incidents increased compared to the previous year (an increase of 2,542 fires), while coming
to 72.1% versus ten years ago.
• The number of fatalities from fires increased compared to the previous year (an increase of 4 people), while
coming to 72.6% versus ten years ago.
• There were 3,712 fires caused by cigarettes, which were the primary cause of fires (arson was second andstoves were third).
[Trends in the number of fire incidents and the number of fatalities from fires](During each year)(People)(Fires)60,00054,5823,000
52,39450,006

51,13950,00048,095

46,620
2,005

40,00030,000

1,969

1,877

44,1892,500
43,741
39,111

1,738 1,766

1,721

1,625

1,678

1,563

39,37336,831

2,000

1,452

1,456

2016

1,000
2017 (Year)

Number of fire incidents

1,500

Number of fatalities from fires

20,000

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Notes: 1. Prepared based on Fire Reports
2. See the left axis for the “Number of fire incidents” and the right axis for the “Number of fatalities from fire”• The number of house fires (excluding arson) in 2017 came to 10,489 fires, and the number of fatalities fromhouse fires (excluding suicides by arson, etc.) came to 889 people.
• The number of house fires decreased from the previous year (a decrease of 34 fires), while coming to 64.8%
versus ten years ago.
• The number of fatalities from house fires increased from the previous year (an increase of 4 people), while
coming to 77.4% versus ten years ago.
• The installation rate for residential fire alarms is 81.6% (as of June 1, 2018).
[Trends in the number of house fires (excluding arson) and the number of fatalities from house fires (excluding suicides by arson etc.)](During each year)(People)(Fires)

1,500

20,00016,177 15,614
15,00010,000

1,148

1,123

14,7781,023

14,044 13,673
1,022

12,832

1,070

12,502 11,855
997

1,016

1,006
914

Number of house fires(excluding arson)

5,000

11,102 10,523

10,489
889

1,000

885

Number of fatalities from house fires(excluding suicides by arson etc.)

0

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

500
2017 (Year)

Notes: 1. Prepared based on Fire Reports
2. See the left axis for the “Number of house fires (excluding arson)” and the right axis for the “Number of fatalities from house fires(excluding suicides by arson etc.).”7

Status for Firefighting Organizations (As of April 1, 2018) (Chapter 2, Section 1)
 Fire departments• 728 fire departments and 1,719 fire stations have been established, with the number of firefighting personnel coming to
164,873 people.
• The number of firefighting personnel increased compared to the previous year (an increase of 1,059 people), while coming
to 104.4% versus ten years ago.

 Volunteer fire corps• The number of volunteer fire corps is 2,209 and the number of members is 843,667 people. Volunteer fire corps have been
established in every municipality.
• The number of volunteer fire corps members decreased compared to the previous year (a decrease of 6,664 people), while
coming to 94.9% versus ten years ago.
[Trends in the number of firefighting personnel and volunteer fire corps members](People)(As of April 1 each year)

170,000

164,873

165,000
160,000

157,860

150,000(People)162,124

160,392

159,354

158,327

155,000

161,244

159,730

158,809

163,043

163,814

Number of firefighting personnel

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018 (Year)

1,000,000
950,000
900,000

Number of volunteer fire corps members

888,900

2008

2009

874,193879,978885,394

850,000
800,000

883,698

2010

2011

864,347
868,8722012

856,278
859,995

2013

2014

2015

843,667
850,331

2016

2017

2018 (Year)

Notes: 1. Prepared based on the Survey on the Current Status of Fire and Disaster Prevention and Earthquake Countermeasures
2. Due to the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the number of firefighting personnel and volunteer fire corps members in Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, andFukushima Prefecture for 2011 were totaled using the figures from the previous year (as of April 1, 2010).
3. Due to the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the figures for Onagawa Town, Oshika-Gun, Miyagi Prefecture for 2012 were totaled via the figures from two years ago(as of April 1, 2010).

Implementation Status of Ambulance Services (Chapter 2, Section 4)
 The number of times ambulances have been dispatched for emergencies has kept on upward trend. In 2017
they were dispatched at a record high of around 6.34 million times, which is roughly a 20% increase compared to ten yearsago.
 The number of ambulance service teams as of April 1, 2018 is 5,179 teams (an increase of 39 teams compared with theprevious year), which is roughly 6% increase compared with ten years ago.
 The average time required to reach the scene was 8.6 minutes in 2017 (this is 1.6 minutes longer than ten years ago).
 The average time required to take the sick and wounded to hospital was 39.3 minutes in 2017 (this is 5.9 minutes longer thanten years ago).
[Trends in the number of ambulance dispatch cases andthe number of ambulance service teams](10,000
cases)(teams)650
600

550 529
500
450

621
592 598 605
571 580
546

634

350
-

6,000
5,500

5,090 5,179

5,028
510 512
4,927
5,069
4,846
5,004
4,965
4,8714,892 4,910

Time required to takethe sick and wounded
to hospital (minutes)

Time required toreach the scene(minutes)

45.0

12.0
11.0

5,140

Number of ambulance dispatch cases

400[Trends in the time required to reach the scene and the timerequired to take the sick and wounded to hospital by ambulance]

Number of ambulance service teams(as of April 1 each year)

5,000
4,500

10.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
6.0

4,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 (Year)

5.0-

39.4 39.3
39.3

40.0

8.6
8.5 8.6 8.6 8.5

35.0

37.4 38.138.7 39.3 39.4
35.0
33.4
7.7

36.1
7.9 8.1 8.2 8.3

30.0

7.0
Time required to reach the scene
Time required to take the sick andwounded to hospital

20.0

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 (Year)

Notes: 1. Prepared based on Ambulance Service Annual Reports
2. Due to the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the figures for the right-hand graph were totaled by excluding the data for the fire department at the Otsuchi District
Administrative Affairs Association in Kamaishi and the fire department in Rikuzentakata City from 2010 and 2011.

8

25.0

National Fire Service Team (Chapter 2, Section 7)
 The number of National Fire Service Team registered as of April 1, 2018 was 5,978 units (an increase of 320
units compared with a year earlier).
 They have been dispatched 38 times since inauguration in 1995 (as of the end of November 2018).
 National Fire Service Team is made up of Command Support Battalions, Prefectural Battalions,
Comprehensive Mobile Units, and Emergency Response Units for Energy/Industrial Disaster (“Dragon
Hyper Command Unit”).
 An action plan on the operating policy etc. for National Fire Service Team in the case of the Nankai TroughEarthquake or the Tokyo Inland Earthquake was drawn up, taking into account the response measures anddamage envisaged by the Central Disaster Management Council.
Emergency Response Unit forEnergy/Industrial Disaster(“Dragon Hyper Command Unit”)• The mission of Emergency Response Unit forEnergy/Industrial Disaster is to carry out specialist
firefighting activities rapidly and appropriately in theparticular disasters occurring in areas in whichenergy/industrial
infrastructuresuchaspetrochemical complexes or chemical plants arelocated.
• They are made up of special vehicles able to send
and discharge large volumes of water long distances.
• They will be deployed at 12 fire departments by
FY2018.

Symbol used nationwide

Core vehicles of the Dragon Hyper Command Units
Hose extension vehicle equipped with large water cannon (left)
Large-capacity water pump vehicle (right)

Commemorative Project for the 70th Anniversary of the Local Government
Centered Fire and Disaster Management System (Chapter 4)
 On March 7, 1948, the Fire and Disaster Management Organization Act came into effect, and today’s system for“Local Government Centered Fire and Disaster Management,” based on the principle of fire and disastermanagement by municipalities, was established, .
 On March 7, 2018, in order to reaffirm the importance of the mission of fire and disaster management, which is
to ensure the safe and secure lives of the people, and with the aim of further enhancing and strengthening fireand disaster prevention systems, the "Ceremony to Commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Local
Government Centered Fire and Disaster Management System” was held at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
 Following the commemoration ceremony, the "Fire and Disaster Prevention Activities Promotion
Convention” was held aiming to further energize fire and disaster prevention activities nationwide, by honoring
those business establishments cooperating with volunteer fire corps activities.

Prime Minister's commendation

Performance by a trumpet band of volunteer fire corps
from Nagano Prefecture

Activities after the Earthquake Disaster in Eastern Taiwan in February 2018 (Chapter 5)
 The International Rescue Team of Japan Fire-Service (IRT-JF) was inaugurated in1986 and has been dispatched 21 times since their inauguration.
 In February 2018, eight experts (including two IRT-JF members) from the Japan
Disaster Relief Team (JDR) were dispatched to support the search and rescue
operations of the Taiwanese authorities.
 The experts advised local rescue teams on the handling of search equipment
and the search operations.
 This was accepted as repayment by Japan for the support provided by Taiwan
after the Great East Japan Earthquake
Support for operations in Hualien County(dispatched in February 2018)
and was highly appreciated in Taiwan.
(Courtesy by JICA)

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<Reference> 2018 White Paper on Fire Service - Contents
Special Feature 1. The Disaster Damage and Response in the Heavy Rain in July 2018
1. Overview of the Damage
2. Government’s Major Actions and the Operations of Firefighting Agencies
3. Lessons from the Disaster Damage

Special Feature 2. The Disaster Damage and Response in Recent Earthquakes[Earthquake Centered in Northern Osaka]
1. Overview of the Damage
2. Government’s Major Actions and the Operations of Firefighting Agencies[2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake]
1. Overview of the Damage
2. Government’s Major Actions and the Operations of Firefighting Agencies[Response Henceforth Considering Damage from Recent Earthquakes]
Iburi

Special Feature 3. Strengthening the Safe Operation System of Fire and Disaster
Prevention Helicopters
1. Fire and Disaster Prevention Helicopters Protecting the People's Safety and Security
2. Overview of Fire and Disaster Prevention Helicopter Crashes
3. FDMA Efforts to Improve Operating Safety

Special Feature 4. Promotion of Integration of Fire Department
1. What Is Integration of Fire Department?
2. Advantages of Integration of Fire Department
3. Past Efforts
4. Future Initiatives
5. Efforts of Organizations Concerned

Special Feature 5. Enhancing and Strengthening Regional Disaster Prevention Capabilities
with Volunteer Fire Corps Playing the Center Role
1. Current Status regarding Volunteer Fire Corps
2. Policies to Enhance and Strengthen Volunteer Fire Corps
3. Recent Activities of Volunteer Fire Corps

Special Feature 6. Promotion of the Active Involvement of Female Firefighting Officials in
Firefighting
1. Current Status regarding Female Firefighting Officials
2. Efforts of Municipalities and Fire Departments
3. FDMA Initiatives

Special Feature 7. Fire Protection and Safety Measures in Residential Accommodation
Businesses (Vacation Rentals)
1. Trend of Vacation Rentals
2. Promotion of Fire Protection and Safety Measures for Vacation Rentals
3. Future Initiatives

Special Feature 8. Enhancement of Fire and Disaster Prevention Systems by Utilizing AI
and Robots
1. Direction of Research and Development on Fire and Disaster Prevention Technology
2. Status of Research and Development

Special Feature 9. Overseas Promotion of Firefighting Equipment Conforming to JapaneseStandards
1. Government's Efforts for Overseas Promotion of Japanese Firefighting Equipment
2. Status of Japanese Firefighting Equipment Installed in Southeast Asian Countries andStrengthening Competitiveness3. Efforts for Overseas Promotion

Special Feature 10. Response to Heatstroke
1. What Is Heatstroke?
2. Survey on People Taken to Hospital for Heatstroke in Summer
3. Efforts for Heatstroke Prevention

10Chapter 1. Current Status of and Challenges with Disasters
Section 1. Fire Prevention
Section 2. Disaster Countermeasures in Facilities that Handle Hazardous Materials
Section 3. Countermeasures for Disasters at Petrochemical Complexes
Section 4. Countermeasures to Fires in Forests and Fields
Section 5. Storm and Flood Countermeasures
Section 6. Earthquake Countermeasures
Section 7. Countermeasures for Nuclear Disasters
Section 8. Countermeasures for Other Disasters

Chapter 2. Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Section 1. Fire Service Systems
Section 2. The Activities of Firefighting Personnel
Section 3. Education and Training Structure
Section 4. Ambulance Service Systems
Section 5. Rescue Systems
Section 6. Aerial Fire and Disaster Prevention System
Section 7. Integration of Fire Department/Rescue and National Fire Service Team
Section 8. The Disaster Prevention Systems of National and Regional Public Organizations
Section 9. Promoting the Computerization of Fire and Disaster Prevention

Chapter 3. Responses for Public Safety
Section 1. Efforts for Public Safety
Section 2. Response to the Case of a Ballistic Missile Launch by North Korea

Chapter 4. Voluntary Fire and Disaster Prevention Activities and Building
Communities that are Resistant to Disasters
Chapter 5. Responding to International Challenges
Chapter 6. Research and Development on Science and Technology for Fire andDisaster Prevention
Attached Materials

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