1

What to take away in this presentation:
1. Basic structure and arrangement of fire service
organizations - firefighting, ambulance service andrescue activities- in Japan, a top-tier country on
this planet in natural disaster experiences.
*Although Japan has 0.25 % of land over the world, nearly 20% earthquakes at magnitude>= 6.0 occurred in Japan and 7% active volcanos located there.
(See next slide for detail.))

2. What Japanese fire service organizations havecurrently focused on, based on the lessons learnt
from past large scale natural disasters.
2Number of Earthquake and Active Volcanoes in Japan○ Japan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where seismic and volcanic activities occur constantly. Although the country
covers only 0.25% of the land area on the planet, the number of earthquakes and active volcanoes is extremely high.
○ In addition, because of geographical, topographical and meteorological conditions, the country is subject to frequent
natural disasters such as typhoons, torrential rains and heavy snowfalls as well as earthquakes and tsunami.
World geographical distribution of hypocentres and plates

Principal volcanoes in the world

Source: Created by Japan Meteorological
Agency (JMA) based on hypocentre data fromthe United States Geological Survey (USGS)

Source: JMA data
Japan / World / approx.

No. of earthquakes ofmagnitude 6.0 or greater(2006-2015)
JMA and USGS

Japan
290（17.8%）
World
1,634

No. of active volcanoes(2016)
Source: Cabinet Office website

Source: White Paper on
Disaster Management 2016

Japan
110（Approx. 7%）
World
Approx. 1,500
3

1. Basic Arrangement in Fire Service
2. How to Combat Large Scale Disasters
3. Utilizing Lessons through Disaster Experiences3-1. Emergency Fire Response Team3-2. Volunteer Fire Corps
3-3. Early Warning Systems

41-1. Institutional Arrangement in Fire Services- Central Government, Prefectures and Municipalities -Mission: Firefighting, Ambulance Service and Rescue Activity
Central Government(Fire and Disaster Management Agency) Designing basic fire fighting measures and policies
 Providing technical advices, education and training Conducting researchPrefectures

 Running fire academy to provide
fire defense education and training

Municipalities Day to day firefighting operation as well as
ambulance service and rescue service inaccordance with situation and condition ofmunicipalities on their own initiative5

1-2. Institutional Arrangement in Fire Services – with figures
Fire andDisasterManagement
Agency(FDMA) Designing basic fire fighting measures and policies
 Providing technical advices, education and training Conducting research
 Running college and research organization as affiliated organizations
 Around 170 staff members in total

Prefectures

 Running fire service academy for education and training

RegularFirefighting Professional first responder units to provide fireservice, rescue activity and ambulance service onsite
 732 fire service organizations, established bymunicipalities, and 163,814 firefighters across thenation 11,690 fire engines, 6,271 ambulance cars and 1,248
rescue cars

VolunteerFirefighting

 2,209 volunteer fire corps groups and 850,331
members in the country

Municipalities* Figures above are as of 1st April, 2017.

6

1-3. Preparation for International Disaster Relief
Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Rescue Team






INSARAG – Heavy
Dispatched to disaster hit areas overseas 19 times since establishment in
1987
Composed of five public organizations andvolunteer professionals – doctor & nurse and architect- Ministry of Foreign Affairs- FDMA & Fire Service Organizations- National Police Agency(JDR team members on site)
Rescuer& Local Police Authorities- Japan Coast Guard- JICA for logistics
Exercises and trainings regularly carried out
to keep the rescue ability and skill suitable tothe IEC/R Heavy.
(Joint rescue exercise for fire fighters)

7

1-3. Preparation for International Disaster Relief

JDR Rescue Team Dispatched Places

8

17
1

11
10

1

1990

Iran – earthquake

2

1990

Philippine – earthquake

3

1991

Bangladesh - cyclone

4

1993

Malaysia – building collapse

5

1996

Egypt – building collapse

6

1997

Indonesia – forest fire

7

1999

Colombia – earthquake

8

1999

Turley – earthquake

9

1999

Taiwan – earthquake

10

2003

Algeria – earthquake

11

2004

Morocco – earthquake

12

2004

Thailand – earthquake

6

13

2005

Pakistan – earthquake

15

14

2008

China – earthquake

15

2009

Indonesia – earthquake

16

2011

New Zealand – earthquake

17

2015

Nepal – earthquake

18

2017

Mexico – earthquake

19

2018

Taiwan - earthquake

Japan

14

5
3

18

9 19

13

12
2
4

7

16

8

1. Basic Arrangement in Fire Service
2. How to Combat Large Scale Disasters
3. Utilizing Lessons through Disaster Experiences3-1. Emergency Fire Response Team3-2. Volunteer Fire Corps
3-3. Early Warning Systems

92-1. Structure of Fire and Disaster Management
The Basic Structure ofFire and Disaster Management
Municipalities andcommunities
playing the mainrole in fire anddisaster response

Communities
Volunteer Fire Corps

Municipalities
Regular Fire Service

Prefectures
 Designing and drafting
umbrella rules on fireservice and disastermanagement
 Providing technicaladvices, education andtraining Conducting researches
etc.

Support

FDMA

For Large Scale Disasters

FDMA

Functioning as
the control
tower for the
response todisaster

RequestInstruction
Prefectures
Municipalities
Regular Fire Service

Communities
Volunteer Fire Corps102-2. FDMA Operation in Large-Scale Disasters
FDMA Disaster Task Force

Crisis Management Centerat Prime Minister’s Office
Reporting and sharingof disaster information

Information collection
from disaster hit areas

Coordination for dispatch ofEmergency Fire Response Team

Local government officein disaster hit area11

2-3. Emergency Fire Response TeamThe Elite Units that Rush for Rescue from Various Regions across the Country

 Established in 1995
 Having been dispatched to disaster hit areas in the event of large scale disasters
38 times ever, such as earthquake, landslide, flood, and volcano eruption that put
huge damages on people Composed of 5,978 units (Firefighting: 2,260, Rescue: 487, Ambulance: 1,361
Air: 75 and so forth) as of April 201812

2-4. Emergency Fire Response Team in Great East Japan Earthquake
・ Just after the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, Emergency Fire Response Team was formed
and dispatched to the disaster hit areas in three prefectures - Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, with an
instruction of the FDMA Commissioner.
・ The firefighters mobilized in the great earthquake amounts to about 30,000, accounting of around 20%of all the firefighters in Japan.
・ The ground units made firefighting, rescue and ambulance service while the aviation units carried out
rescue, aerial firefighting and information collection, having saved 5,064 people.

8000

6000

Emergency Fire Respond Team
Progressof the Fire
numberof firefighters
Emergency
ResponseTeamthth
Period：11
March,
2011 throughJune, 2011 (88Days)
Progressof thenumberof the6 firefighters
dispatched(11th Mar –firefighters
4th Jun) (31,166 Units)
total：109,919

18th March
Maximum 6,835 firefighters（1,870 Units）

4000

2000
1st mobilization instruction : to 20prefecture
2nd mobilization instruction : to 2pref.
3rd mobilization instruction : to 6pref.
4th mobilization instruction : to 2pref.
5th mobilization instruction : to 13pref.
6th mobilization instruction : to 1pref.

6th June
92 firefighters（32 Units）

013

2-4. Emergency Fire Response Team in Great East Japan Earthquake1414

2-4. Emergency Fire Response Team in Great East Japan Earthquake15

2-4. Emergency Fire Response Team in Great East Japan Earthquake

宮城県名取市での捜索活動

宮城県気仙沼市における消火活動

宮城県仙台市における救助活動

消防ヘリコプターによる救助活動

16 16

2-4. Emergency Fire Response Team in Great East Japan Earthquake

宮城県気仙沼市における水難救助隊員による救助活動

宮城県気仙沼市における救出活動

雪降る中での野営

岩手県大槌町へ出場中の大阪府隊の消防車両

17 17

(Appendix)

Outline of Damages in Great East Japan Earthquake(As of September 1st, 2018)

1. Total Damages
Damage to Human

Dead ：

19,667

Missing ： 2,566

Iwate pref.

5, 1401, 115

Miyagi pref.

10, 566

1, 223

Fukushima
pref.

211

4,148

Iwate pref.

Miyagi pref. Fukushima pref.

Fully destroyed ： 121,783

19, 50883, 004

15, 224

Half destroyed ： 280,965

6, 571

155,130

80 , 803

Partially destroyed ： 745,162

19, 061

224, 202

141, 044

3 , 846

224（Dead and Missing in total ： 22,233）
Casualty ： 6,231

Damage to House

183

Case of Fire

Iwate pref.

Miyagi pref.

Fukushima pref.

330

33

137

38

2. Damages on Fire Services
Firefighters

Dead/Missing： 27

VolunteerFirefighters

Damage on Buildings（fully, half or partiallydestroyed）

Headquarters and Fire Station：143,
Branch Stations：161

Damage on Vehicles etc.

Vehicle：86, Fire Boat：2, Helicopter：1

Damage on
Buildings（out of use）
Damage on
Vehicles etc.

Dead/Missing： 254
Depot of Volunteer Fire Corps：
463

Vehicles：255

18

(Appendix) Major Large Scale Earthquakes Forecasted to Occur in the Future
Source of the description here from long term research
about trench type earthquake made by Earthquake
Research Committee, Headquarters for Promotion ofEarthquake Research

Japan is surrounded by four plates.
Nearly 20% of earthquakes（more thanM6） in the world have occurred in Japan.
And, it is said that about 2,000 active
faults exist in Japan.

Trench type earthquakes inthe vicinity of the Japanand the Chishima Trenches（along with Chishima Trench, offshoreof Sanriku to Boso）

The aftermath of Great East Japan
Earthquake over M7 may occur in the
future.

Tokyo Inland Earthquake(other earthquake in southern area of Kanto)

Nankai Trough Earthquake

M7 class earthquake may occur with around
70% of probability in the next 30 years.

M8 to M9 class earthquake may occur witharound 70% of probability in the next 30 years. ＜Estimated Damage＞（ About "the earthquake of the greatest class which is （Inland of Southern Midtown Earthquake
generated in the Nankai trough”, the quantitativeM7.3(Maximum Value)evaluation is difficult, but it is said that the outbreak・Casualties about 23,000 people (Casualties byfrequency is considerably low.

＜Estimated Damage(M9.1(Maximum Value))＞・Casualties about 320,000 people
・Economic Loss : Approx. 220 trillion JPY,
equivalent to 1.8 trillion USD (JPY/USD=120 applied)

fire about 16,000 people）
・Economic Loss : Approx. 95 trillion JPY,
equivalent to 0.8 trillion USD (JPY/USD=120
applied)19

1. Basic Arrangement in Fire Service
2. How to Combat Large Scale Disasters
3. Utilizing Lessons through Disaster Experiences3-1. Emergency Fire Response Team3-2. Volunteer Fire Corps
3-3. Early Warning Systems

20

3-1-1. Stepping Up Emergency Fire Response Team throughExperience of Great East Japan Earthquake
1. Need to strengthen the logistic and back-up teams so that Emergency Fire
Response Team can keep on their activities in a long period and also inwider areas
Introducing Operation Base Forming Vehicle and Large Air Tent

Operation Base Forming Vehicle

Large Air Tent

2. Need to make sure of alternative ways that the rescue teams can arrive at
disaster hit areas swiftly even in the case that the roads are closed due todamages caused by disaster
Increasing the helicopter bases across the nation so that the rescue
teams can dash to disaster hit areas with helicopters, no matter how
the road conditions are
75 helicopters on active, forfirefighting and disaster
response throughout Japan

Rescue activity basewith rescue tools storageand oil depot

21

3-1-1. Stepping Up Emergency Fire Response Team throughExperience of Great East Japan Earthquake
3. Need to enable the rescue teams to keep the high mobility in the flood,
the tsunami-hit and the rubble area
Introducing Small Amphibious Buggy and Tsunami/Large-Scale Water
Disaster Countermeasure Vehicle

Small Amphibious Buggy

Tsunami/Large-Scale Water Disaster Countermeasure Vehicle

Specializing in the rescue activities at flood areas, loading
devices and tools such as boat, buggy, life jacket and dry suit22

3-1-1. Stepping Up Emergency Fire Response Team throughExperience of Great East Japan Earthquake
4. Need to enhance the arrangement to gather and share information
on disaster damages
Installation of Heli-Sat system
Communication
satellite
Live pictures

Heli-Sat

Heli-TV
Emergency operation room

Ground antenna

Advantageous Aspects of Heli Sat, Compared to Heli TV (the conventional system)
 Able to directly transmit images to disaster management institutions - no need to use
ground antenna which is fragile to disasters such as earthquake and landslide, as well as
to cut the cost to build ground antennas
 Possible to receive radio waves free from constraints of terrain
23

3-1-1. Stepping Up Emergency Fire Response Team Activity throughExperience of Great East Japan Earthquake
5. Need to create a special unit dedicated to firefighting at petro complex
Forming new fire response team, “Dragon Hyper Command Unit”
Water Cannon
VehicleMega Volume
Pumper Dedicated to extraordinary disaster response activities at energy andindustrial infrastructures
 Can discharge the larger volume of water to farther and higher point
for longer time than ordinary fire engine
 At present, eight units formed in Tomakomai, Yokohama, Ichihara, Yokkaichi, Shizuoka, Kobe,
Kurashiki and Kagoshima By 2018 to deploy 12 units in total to the areas close to large petrochemical complexes243-1-2. Collaboration among Disaster Response Forces(in Emergency Fire Response Team Disaster Exercise)
Joint Rescue Activity
Rescue teams
both of fireservice andpolice are jointly
in operation.

Field Emergency
Command Post
（jointly operated by Fire Service,
Police, Self Defense Force, DMAT
(medical team), Coast Guard etc)

Fire Service
Organizations andJapan Coast
Guard jointly
search and rescue
castaways.
Joint Search and Rescue Activities
Firefighting by Fire Service Organization
and Industrial Firefighters
Dragon Hyper Command Unit in collaboration
with industrial firefighters makes firefighting at
petrochemical complex.

Medical Treatment immediately after rescue
The rescue teams
save people,
followed by DMAT
medical treatment
on site.
SDF clears stuff
on roads to enablefirefighters to rush
to disaster hit
areas.

Coordination

SDF clearing roads for firefighting
Transportation of firefighters by SDF Carrier

Disaster Management
Headquarter at local
governments

SDF Carrier Aircrafts transports
firefighters and fire engines tofrontline .

Coordination and Support

Disaster Management
Headquarter at thecentral governments25

1. Basic Arrangement in Fire Service
2. How to Combat Large Scale Disasters
3. Utilizing Lessons through Disaster Experiences3-1. Emergency Fire Response Team3-2. Volunteer Fire Corps
3-3. Early Warning Systems

26

3-2-1. Volunteers for Disaster Response（as of April 1, 2017）

Regular Fire Services
Fire Services(732 Fire Defense Headquarters)
about 164,000 personnel*

including female members
about 24,947 members

Volunteer Fire Services(2,209 stations)about 850,000 members

NPOs
Volunteers
Corporations

Voluntary Disaster Preventing Organizations(164,195 organizations)about 43.67 million members

27

3-2-2. Volunteer Fire Corps
Volunteer Fire Corps:
 Act under the slogan “Protection of Our Community by Ourselves.”
 Usually work on their own job, but when a disaster occurs in their community,
start the emergency response onsite.
 Take initial response to disasters on the front line before the professionals
arrival.
 Give people an instruction about disaster response in normal situation.

Searching for victims in landslide disaster(Hiroshima-City)

Supporting firefighter’s rescue activity withpower shovel (Oshima-Cho)28

3-2-3. Volunteer Fire Corps in Great East Japan Earthquake In Great East Japan Earthquake, volunteer fire corps dedicatedthemselves to the following activities although they themselves were also
victims, in some cases losing their family.
closing water gates, guiding people for evacuation, firefighting,rescue activities, searching for those missing ….

 254 fire corps died or missing while in activities
It was suggested that the current safety measure for volunteer
fire corps should be stepped up.
FDMA, with an advisory group, completed a report, encouraging local
government, which is responsible for fire corps, to set up a manual bookto ensure the safety of fire corps activities. The followings are parts ofrecommendations to include in their manual book.
To predetermine the activity timeand start escaping when thepredetermined time is overTo ensure at least two members
get to water gates to close it,equipped with transceiver andwearing saving jacket29

3-2-4. Significance of Volunteer Fire Corps Proved A village which was stricken by a 15m high tsunami in Great East Japan
Earthquake didn’t see any casualty.
Volunteer Fire Corps not only instructed people to dash to high level hills but
closed the roads toward lower places so that people couldn’t go down before
the tsunami warning is lifted. This tactful idea and action were thanks to theirregular disaster drill.

 Even with a magnitude-6.7 earthquake in mid-night winter 2014, all of
the residents in a village survived.

An original map for emergency operation where the location of people inneed for evacuation was plotted – quite useful to save and guide the people
to evacuation instantly.

These good practices proved the significance ofthe volunteer fire corps in disaster management.
FDMA has taken measurements to encourage people tojoin the volunteer fire corps and enhance their capabilities
through providing training and equipment.

30

1. Basic Arrangement in Fire Service
2. How to Combat Large Scale Disasters
3. Utilizing Lessons through Disaster Experiences3-1. Emergency Fire Response Team3-2. Volunteer Fire Corps
3-3. Early Warning Systems

31

3-3-1. Overview of “J-ALERT”
The national early warning system “J-ALERT” can instantly transmit emergency information, suchas ballistic missile and earthquake early warning, both via a satellite and online from the central
government to local governments. The information the local governments receive is automaticallydelivered to local residents through various devices like outdoor/indoor broadcasting systems.

Central Government
CabinetSecretariat

Local Governments
Satellite

Municipalities

Information
Transmission(J-ALERT）
Monitor
Ballistic
missile, etc.

FDMA

Receiver

JMA

OnlineEarthquake
early warning,
Tsunamiwarning, etc.

Local Residents

Automatic Starter

Disaster
Information
Wireless
Broadcasting
SystemIP Notification
Server
Cable TV
Community FM
Broadcasting
Corporations

Outdoorbroadcasting

IP notification
terminal unit

Indoorbroadcasting32

3-3-2. Diversification of Disaster Warning Channel
 Prompt disaster warning to people significant to save their lives from disasters
 One-type method to transmit the disaster warnings not sufficient Loud speakers – the most familiar way of early warning transmission, but
fragile to earthquake and tsunami
 Warning voices outside buildings difficult to listen to amid heavy rain
 Not everyone with mobile phones – especially the elder

 Diversification of disaster information channel necessary to promote
Loud speaker
E mailTV, Web, SNS
Municipality

PeopleSpeaker Installed in House
Radio, TV with automatic starter
Automatic message via telephone33

 No way to control the earth, the natural world or the climate
 Preparedness is the only measure to minimize the damage
 Learning the lesson gets the preparedness robust

Thank you very much for listening.

34