January 13, 2025
TOKYO – The Fire and Disaster Management Agency plans to deploy unmanned firefighting robots and other specialized vehicles as part of its efforts to enhance the equipment and machinery used by Emergency Fire Response Teams, which are dispatched to areas stricken by earthquakes, flooding and other disasters.
The agency is drawing on lessons learned from the large fire that broke out following the earthquake that hit the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture last year. In addition to the robots, which can help fight large blazes via remote control, the agency also plans to provide the teams with small vehicles that can traverse narrow, rough roads. This will enable personnel to flexibly respond to disasters immediately after they occur.
Emergency Fire Response Teams are dispatched at the instruction of the FDMA chief for rescue operations in the event of large-scale disasters that are difficult for local firefighting organizations to cope with independently. The teams were set up following the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.
Unmanned firefighting robots can be controlled remotely from about several hundred meters away. Because they can operate on badly damaged roads and narrow alleys, the robots are expected to speed up initial fire extinguishing operations.
It took a long time to put out the Noto quake fire because initial operations were delayed due to roads being cut off and other factors, resulting in extensive damage.
The unmanned robots are also expected to be useful at sites that firefighters cannot reach easily, such as places with extremely hot temperatures and facilities that handle chemicals.
When a Japan Airlines plane collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda Airport in Tokyo last January, the Tokyo Fire Department used robots to put out the flames, as the area around the planes became extremely hot.
The FDMA plans to accept applications from local fire department headquarters wishing to deploy the robots. They are scheduled to be stationed at three locations.
The agency also intends to help the emergency response teams introduce vehicles for specialized purposes, including highly mobile small, lightweight vehicles and rescue vehicles that can be airlifted by Self-Defense Forces helicopters. The teams are expected to be promptly dispatched to disaster-stricken areas with damaged roads, immediately after disasters, to take command and engage in rescue operations.
In response to the large fire after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, the agency’s expert panel called in a report for the enhancement of firefighting equipment and machinery. The agency decided to take measures to help local fire department headquarters, as many of them find it difficult to procure such equipment and machinery on their own due to tight budget.