International Forum on Fire & Disaster Management

Fire Prevention Measures &Equipment Certif ication System

Feb 25 th & Mar 3 rd 2022

KUWAHARA Takahiro, International Fire Standards Specialist,Fire Prevention Div., Fire & Disaster Management Agency

11. Fire Prevention Scheme
2. Certification to Fire Equipment
3. Flexibly Settable Fire Equipment
4. Publication
2

Overview of Fire Prevention Scheme in Japan◆Fire safety to Fire Prevention Properties* through both prevention equipment
driven Approach and non - equipment employed measure*a forest, or a vessel and vehicle, a ship moored at a dock or a pier, a building or other structure or any other object

Case of Buildings etc.
6. Authority of Fire Department
Many different individuals live/stayResidenceHouseFlat

・ on-site inspection and order・ penalty

Hotel, Hospital, Care House, School, Factory & Underground Shopping Area

2. Fire Prevention Management System

・ fire prevention manager, fire prevention plan, self-evacuation drill & periodic
report

3. Disaster Prevention Management System (earthquake etc)

1.Home FireAlarms

・ disaster prevention manager

4. Fire Equipment

・ fire extinguishing; sprinkler systems, indoor fire hydrant systems and gas fireextinguishing systems
・ alarm; automatic fire alarm systems and fire alarm systems reporting to a fire department
・ escape; escape exit guide lights, passage guide lights and escape equipment

5. Fire Retardant Regulations ・ application to carpet and curtain
7. Regulation to equipment and appliances that use fire; cooking stoves, boiler etc. - structure, position etc.

3Trend in Fire Accidents & Fatalities⚫ Fire accidents and fatalities from fire in Japan, which had increased in line with economic
growth, turned to downward trend in around 2000.
(accidents)

Historical Figures in Fire Accidents & fatalities
Fire
出火件数accidents

80,000(fatalities)
Fatalities
死者数

■ GDP

2,500

2,300

70,0002,100
60,0001,900
50,0001,700

40,000

1,500

1,300

30,000GDP in 2019561,267 billion yen

1,100

20,000900
10,0000

GDP in 1980
242,838 billion yen

700

500

4

Development in Fire Prevention with Lessons from Fire Accidents
From Showa Era to Early Heisei Era
From 1965 to 1998, large scale fire accidents occurred causing mass casualties – such as
hotels and department stores●➢ Utilized lessons from fire accidents to make the installation requirement of fire
equipment stricter – such as sprinkler systems and automatic fire alarm systems➢ Retroactive application of the standard in fire equipment in 1974
➢ Regulations without requirement of equipment, e.g. Fire Prevention Manager System(1960) and Fire Safety Certification Mark (1980)

Recent Phenomenon
Recent years have seen frequent fire accidents at small sized facilities, industrial places andmulti-tenant buildings with a number of fatalities●➢ Strengthened installation requirement of sprinkler systems and automatic fire alarmsystems to care houses and other similar facilities, making the regulations accept newly
developed devices - e.g. packaged automatic fire extinguisher and wireless automatic fire
alarm systems➢ New measures in non-equipment related measures newly introduced e.g. periodic
inspection and reporting system (2002) and naming regulation-breached-buildings (2014)➢ Increase in fatalities from residential fire led to home fire alarms installation requirement5(2006)

1. Fire Prevention Scheme
2. Certification to Fire Equipment
3. Flexibly Settable Fire Equipment
4. Publication
6

Purpose of Certification System
Requirements forfire equipment• Precaution against fire all the time
• Proper operations in case of fire, etc.

What is necessary
for these
requirements• Define performance and functions that the equipment
must make sure to do• Design and manufacture the equipment with ensuring
the appropriate performance and functions• Proper installation• Proper control and maintenanceTechnical standards
Inspection and self-labeling system
Installation standards /inspection
Check list / report

Items subject to the inspection/self-labeling systems
Fire equipment and tools which come under the followings.
・ Since the equipment is used and operated only in emergency conditions such as fire incident, it is difficult forusers to check its performance in advance・Malfunction of the equipment will cause serious troubles for fire-fighting activities
Subject to inspection

The equipment that is strongly required to beinspected in advance by a third party.

Subject to self-labeling

The equipment which is not necessarily supposed to
be inspected by a third party but may have thesecurement of its performance under theresponsibility of manufacturers.

7Inspection & Self-labeling systems
Regulation of sales of the fire equipment and tools
The system prohibits sale, display, construction usage, etc, of items without attached the marking specified by laws

Inspection system

Self-labeling system(Certification by competent authorities)(Self-certification)

Carried out byinspection agency

Conducting inspection
andgranting compliancemarkingMarking specified by laws

Carried out by
manufacturer

Marking specified by laws

ClassEquipment and tools subject to inspection

Equipment and tools subject to self-labeling system

Applicable
items

12 items

6 items

・Approval and grant of a model number.
・Notification to Minister for Internal Affairs andCommunications
・Japan Fire Equipment Inspection Institute or aregistered inspection authority verifies that the・Manufacturer or importer does a self check if theOutline ofproduct conforms to the granted model and gives an product complies with Ministerial Ordinance andSystem
acceptance marking if the test is passed.
attaches the correspondent compliance marking.
・Without this acceptance marking stamped, sale,・Without this compliance marking stamped, sale,display, construction usage, etc., are prohibited.
display, construction usage, etc., are prohibited.
Implement-ing body

Japan Fire Equipment Inspection Instituteor a registered inspection authority

Manufacturers or importers

8Equipment & Tools Subject to Inspection
TypeItem

3. Form of Fire
Extinguishing
AgentsType

5. Water Flow
Detecting Devices

Item
9. Detectors, andManual Call Pointsof Fire Detection
and Alarm Systems
感知器

6. Deluge Valves

発信機

10. Transmitter

7. Metallic Escape
Ladder

Evacuation

4. Closed Sprinkler
Heads

Item

8. Descending
Lifelines

AlarmsFire Extinguishing

2. FireExtinguishing
AgentsFire Extinguishing

1. FireExtinguishers

Type

11. Control panel

12. Home fire alarms

9Flow Chart of Mandatory Inspection
4. Application formodel approval
5. Model approval

Ministry of Internal Affairsand Communications

1. Application for model test
3. Notice of result of model test

Applicant

6. Application for model
conformity mandatory inspection
7. Conduct of model conformity
mandatory inspection

Japan Fire Equipment
Inspection InstituteorRegistered inspection
authority

2. Model test

First test
&Second test

8. Shipment of product

User

10

Equipment & Tools Subject to Self-Labeling
1. Power Driven Fire Pumps

3. Fire Suction Horses

5. Aerosol Type Disposable
Fire Extinguishers

Fire Pumper
VehiclePortable Fire Pumper

2. Fire Horses

4. Couplings for Fire Horses

6. Electric Leakage Fire AlarmDevices

11

Flow Chart in Self-Labelling System
2. Reporting

Ministry of Internal Affairs
and Communications
1. To check conformityof product to thestandards
3. Self model conformity
Manufacturer Inspection/Lot inspection

orImporter

Japan Fire Equipment
Inspection Institute

Allowed to outsource the conformity checks
described at 1&3 to Japan Fire Equipment
Inspection Institute.

4. Shipment of product

User
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1. Fire Prevention Scheme
2. Certification to Fire Equipment
3. Flexibly Settable Fire Equipment
4. Publication
13

Home Fire Alarms
Home fire alarms quickly detect occurrence of fire incident in house to residents – composed
mainly of detector and alarm equipment.

Advantageous Aspects
1. Alarm goes off in case of technical failure or dead battery.
2. Inspection button on the alarm enables a check of the alarm sound– which makes it easy to do maintenance work.
3. Possible to be placed on ceiling and wall, where smoke of fire accident can be detected easily.
4. Anti-false operation system is in place – against cooking smoke, cigarette, bug & dust
◼ Installation Rate in 2020; approx. 80%(*10 Residential Fire）（％）90
Installation rate
1700

1728 1727

1670 1687

1701

1668

82.6%

1618 1561
14781500

1404

1300

1220

1100

992

79.8% 79.6%81.0% 81.2% 81.7% 81.6％
77.5%
71.1%

1367
58.4% 1283

1187 1148

1041 1038

923
900

82.3%

807060

1250

50

1185
45.9%
1110
1070
1052 1049
1023 1022
1016 997 1006
1027 1006
35.6%
914 885 889 946 899

1123

4030
20

The alarm instrallation became mandatory in June 2006

7005002001 2002

2003 2004

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Residential Fire

2013 2014 2015 20162017 2018 2019

1020200Death Toll on Residential Fire⚫ Installation of residential alarm becoming compulsory in 2006 contributes to reduction
fire accident and death toll
⚫ Houses with fire alarm have 40% lower death and half less property/economic damage

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Automatic Fire Extinguisher – Packaged Type & Connected to Water Pipe
Failures in first response fire fighting at hospitals and care houses, where people withdifficulty walking are staying, could mean mass causalities.

⇒Installment of sprinkler systems to these facilities is essential.
◼ Samples of automatic fire extinguishers including sprinkler systems without pump and water tankPackaged AutomaticFire Extinguisher

Automatic Fire Extinguisher
Connected to Water Pipe

Packaged Automatic Fire
Extinguisher for Small-sized
Facilities

Agents Tank

薬剤ボンベはplaced on
屋上等に設置roof top

Space-saving design
and no need to prepare
water tank

Major device-settingwork is not needed15

Just One Operation for Escape Ladder with Easy-to-Use & No Failure
Just one step operation enables theescape ladder to be usable⇒ Swift evacuation in fire accident

Operation

StoredOpen to use

Example of use

16

1. Fire Prevention Scheme
2. Certification to Fire Equipment
3. Flexibly Settable Fire Equipment
4. Publication17

Brochure on Japanese Fire Equipment⚫ Comprehensive explanation about excellency of Japanese fire equipment,standard and certificate⚫ Description of feature of equipment and standard & certificate as well as
introduction of character, quality and sample of use of productBrochure to explain Japanese fire equipment

18Inspection System & Regulations on FDMA Website

Summary ofInspection

Ministerial Ordinance regarding
regulations

Explanation on inspection

http://www.fdma.go.jp/en/

A series of regulations

19