| PRINCIPAL POLICIES
OF THE TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT |
 |
The Work of the Fire Services
The Tokyo Fire Department is engaged in a wide range of fire prevention
activities aimed at protecting the people of Tokyo from fires and other
disasters that threaten both lives and property. As well as preventing
fires, guarding against potential causes of fire, and extinguishing
fires, the Department is responsible for rescuing people from disaster
and accident situations of all kinds; emergency operations involving
the provision of paramedical care to people who have sustained injuries
or suddenly fallen ill, and conveying such people to hospital; measures
to deal with damage inflicted by earthquakes; flood control; elimination
of poisons and dangerous drugs; and other activities aimed at maintaining
the safety of the people of Tokyo.
The Fire Prevention System
The Tokyo Fire Department has jurisdiction over the whole of the Tokyo
metropolitan area excluding Higashi Kurume City, Inagi City, and the
outlying islands. The Department has its headquarters in the Otemachi
district of Chiyoda ward.
| Number of Installations |
Main Fire Fighting Vehicles, etc. |
| District headquarters
Fire stations 80
Fire substations 2
|
10
80
2 |
Local fire branches
|
17,991 |
| Fire service vehicles, etc. |
1,849 |
|
| Pumpers
Ladder trucks
Chemical trucks
Ambulances
Rescue vehicles
Fire boats
Helicopters |
486
85
48
207
25
9
6 |
|
| (Figures as of April 1 2003) |
Priority Policies for Fiscal 2003
The Tokyo Fire Department is placing particular importance on the following
eight measures. The measures are in line with the targets set out by
TMG in the document "Further Progress during the 21st Century - Fire
Prevention in Tokyo":
| 1. |
Improving and strengthening capacity to cope with
disasters. |
| 2. |
Enhancing the practical skills and capacity of firefighting
teams and improving measures for safety management. |
| 3. |
Promoting firefighting activities aimed at protecting
the people of Tokyo from an increasingly complex and diverse range
of disasters. |
| 4. |
Strengthening the system of emergency activities
and improving the effectiveness of life-saving activities through
cooperation with the people of Tokyo. |
| 5. |
Promoting safety measures together with residents
and local authorities. |
| 6. |
Promoting fire prevention and measures to protect
human life through accurate assessment of the dangers presented
by potential fire risks. |
| 7. |
Contributing to environmental safety. |
| 8. |
Promotion of an organizational structure enabling
a prompt and flexible response to local opinions. |
Main Projects During Fiscal 2003
| 1. |
Learning from the subway fire in South Korea in February,
studies were made of countermeasures to deal with a similar disaster
in Japan. |
| 2. |
With the outbreak of the global-scale SARS epidemic
in the spring, infection prevention measures were adopted for rescue
squads, while an emergency transportation system was established. |
| 3. |
In May, an international firefighting rescue team
was dispatched to Algeria to assist with the large earthquake that
hit there. In September, domestic emergency firefighting teams were
sent to Kuroiso City in Tochigi Prefecture to help combat a tire
plant fire, and to Tomakomai City in Hokkaido to fight an oil tank
fire. |
| 4. |
In July, a 24-hour transport system serving the entire
Izu Islands was completed with the launching of a nighttime firefighting
helicopter operation to Aogashima Island. |
| 5. |
To prevent a repetition of the September 2001 multi-tenant
building fire in the Kabukicho entertainment quarter of Shinjuku,
a vigorous program was launched to obtain full understanding and
compliance with the system for regular inspections and reports on
inflammable items enacted in October. |
| 6. |
In November, the "2003 Tokyo International
Fire and Safety Exhibition" was staged, showcasing the history
of firefighting, the latest advances in fire and disaster-prevention
equipment, opportunities for simulated experiences of various types
of disaster prevention and other educational attractions. |
| 7. |
With a sharp increase in deaths and injuries from
home fires, efforts have been enhanced to draw greater attention
to the risks of such disasters and encourage installation of fire
alarms and other warning devices in the home. |
Emergencies Over the Past Five Years
| |
Fires |
Rescue activities |
Emergency cases |
Calls to 119 |
|
| 1998 |
6,555 |
11,948 |
511,892 |
1,079,544 |
| 1999 |
6,774 |
13,178 |
537,416 |
1,107,629 |
| 2000 |
6,936 |
14,715 |
575,690 |
1,158,772 |
| 2001 |
6,931 |
17,419 |
606,695 |
1,092,843 |
| 2002 |
6,671 |
18,788 |
629,883 |
1,066,326 |
|
| Note: |
Number of fires does not include fires that occurred in
extraterritorial areas. |
| |
119 is the emergency number. |
|
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