CHAPTER 1:Disaster prevention

003 Emergency Fire Response Teams - to further enhance our emergency control system steadfast in any large-scale disaster-

Problems actually experienced in the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake include (1) the inability to direct fire defense reinforcements gathering to the disaster stricken area from all over the country to fire sites in an efficient manner and (2) interference among fire prevention radios. Fires simultaneously breaking out at multiple points in an earthquake cannot be controlled by a regional fire defense organization. Further, it is quite likely that the regional fire prevention force itself is crippled due to damage by an earthquake. Although all autonomous bodies (cities, towns, villages) throughout the country had concluded an agreement to cooperate with each other in extensive arrangements for disaster control, we learned the hard way that it was not sufficient in the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. Emergency Fire Response Teams are specially arranged forces to reflect the lessons learned and launched shortly after the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. They were formed for the purpose of operating beyond prefectural borders as reinforcements in the activity to control an extensive-area disaster such as a large-scale earthquake, an extraordinary disaster or a terrorist attack. Since their formation, they have accumulated know-how for provision of desirable assistance in extensive-area disaster control efforts as fire services through the various occasions their mobilization was called for, and developed themselves into a more refined system. Presently, the force comprises 2,821 fire-fighting teams nominated by the fire defense headquarters throughout the country, and about 35,000 members are registered. With the inauguration ceremony scheduled for April 2004 pursuant to the relevant law, they will be starting their operations shortly to prepare for a possible large-scale disaster with flawless implementation.

Major records of mobilization to date

Dec. 6, 1996 Disastrous avalanche of earth and rocks in Kiyoharasawa
Mar. 31, 2000 Mt. Usu volcanic eruption
Oct. 6, 2000 West Tottori earthquake (seismic intensity: 6 plus)
Mar. 24, 2000 Geiyo earthquake (seismic intensity: 6 minus)
July 26, 2003 North Miyagi earthquake (seismic intensity: 6 plus, 6 minus)
Aug. 22, 2003 Mie prefecture RDF power plant fire
Sep. 8, 2003 Bridgestone plant fire in Kuroiso City, Tochigi
Sep. 26& 28, 2003 Idemitsukosan Hokkaido refinery fire as a result of Heisei 15 Tokachi offshore earthquake (seismic intensity: 6 minus)
Jul. 13, 2004 Niigata and Fukushima Prefecture caused by torrential rains.
Jul. 18, 2004 Fukui Prefecture caused by torrential rains.

004 Disaster prevention through activation of community level efforts (voluntary disaster preventing organizations)

In the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, most of the victims died within one hour of the occurrence the earthquake. This implies that the more we can input at the first instance after the outbreak of a large-scale disaster, the more people we can save. Firefighters alone, however, are not enough to save all disaster stricken people at once. In fact, 98% of the survivors escaped from their crises either by themselves or with the aid of their families, neighbors or passersby. If there were no such courageous people, the death toll might have been twice as high. Voluntary disaster preventing organizations are based on a sprit of mutual aid and voluntarism. To save disaster stricken people quickly, knowledge of an area and who lives where is necessary.
Fire and Disaster Management Agency continues its public relations and support activities to form a bond with the people, so that it will be customary for people in a community to cooperate with each other in a disaster.

005 Development of fire and disaster prevention communications network useful in disaster

Have you ever heard an announcement calling for precaution against fire coming from a loudspeaker in a park with accompaniment of music? Such a loudspeaker is a so-called disaster prevention radio. When a large-scale disaster occurs, important disaster-related announcements including evacuation instructions, etc., will be made through it. As it is a radio communications system, it can function as long as it is not directly damaged in a disaster, even if lifelines, etc., are disrupted. The essential quality required of a communications network for fire services and disaster prevention is the ability to remain functional in a disaster. And the availability of a backup system to compensate for facilities crippled in disaster is another consideration.
Disaster information should be collected from people in a disaster stricken area and passed along to the autonomous body controlling the area and to Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the national government organ responsible for disaster prevention, and information to ensure their safe evacuation must be drawn out of the disaster information thus gathered so that it can be conveyed quickly to people in the disaster stricken area. The perfection of such a bilateral communications network will powerfully support all fire fighting and disaster preventing activities.