Tokyo area fire stations - update

While updating the Tokyo area fire station map, we have come to a few conclusions.

1. Paid stations are typically 1 to 2 miles apart. Downtown they are 1/2 mile apart.

2. There are two types of paid stations. The battalion HQs have 1 or 2 pumpers, a rescue, a ladder, a medic ambulance and a battalion chief. The sub stations / "branch stations" have 1 or 2 pumpers and a medic ambulance. There is maybe an average of 4 substations for every Battalion HQ. I think that the typical staffing is 4 on engines, ladders, and rescues. 3 on ambulances and battalion chiefs cars. These stations are staffed 24/7 by paid crews. Batt HQs have 7 or 8 bays. Branch stations have 2 or 3 bays. Batt HQ might have 5 floors on average. Branch stations seem to have 2 floors on average.

3. The volunteer stations are 99% 2 stories with 1 bay. They all have a red light on the front. Most are lettered with FD name and station ID. Many have horns or sirens. Many have a hose rack or drill tower or lookout tower. Many have radio antennas. I suspect that the upper floor has a office, meeting room, and maybe small kitchen and bathroom.90% seem to have the same dimensions. Maybe a 10 foot high bay door that is 10 feet wide. The bay might be 15 feet deep or 20 feet.

4. The volunteer stations seem to be approx one half mile from each other and from the paid stations. There might be 4 vol stations for every paid station. More in the western areas - fewer in the downtown areas.

5. Maybe the volunteer stations are only alerted for major fires and disasters. Except in the mountains to the west of Tokyo. There are very few paid stations in the mountains (?3?) and I suspect that the 30 volunteer stations are the primary responders in those areas.

6. This info seems to apply to the entire metro area. The metro area is home to 38 million people stretching across 3 or 4 prefectures/states.I have not come across any industrial FDs yet - but there must be some somewhere. The Yokohama and Kawasaki ares have lots of petroleum tanks along the waterfront. Perhaps they have their own FDs. I am sure that the Japan Self Defense Force has a few fire stations in the aea. The US military might have 6 fire stations or more in the area also. At least 4 are in Kanagawa Prefecture.

7. Many residential areas have very narrow streets and homes with very little room between them. The land is basically level until you get into the hills and mountains west of Tokyo. There seem to be very few rivers or streams that traverse the area. Electrical wires seem to be everywhere on metal poles - except in downtown areas.

8. I think that I read that every major structure is required to have a full time fire safety director. And possibly there are many internal fire brigades that are trained to use fire extinguishers. In the last decade, smoke detector usage has gone way up and fire deaths have gone down by 50%..

9. I have seen a piece of trash on the ground anywhere. And graffiti apparently is punishable by death  - because it does not exist.

10. It would be very interesting to see how their radio systems are set up. IIRC Tokyo had 2 channels per Division. That was 20 years ago. (They have approx 8 Divisions).

11. Tokyo FD might be organized like this - 3 districts - 10 divisions - maybe 70 battalions - maybe 210 branch stations - the vols are separate

12. The most notable exceptions to the rules are - maybe 5 branch stations have Ladders - maybe 5 stations have 2 ambulances - at least two volunteer stations have 2 companies - newer Tokyo paid stations have bays for vol units

13. Tokyo pumper do respond to some medical emergencies with ambulances. But since most stations have 2 pumpers - this does not put a big dent in their fire responses.

14. Possibly for reports of smoke in a building but no visible flames, Tokyo FD just sends one engine. IIRC Tokyo sends 5 pumpers and 2 ladders to reported building fires.

15. IIRC Tokyo works 24 hours on - 48 hours off. Their FD website has lots of info in English. I have not reviewed it in a while.so I might be really rusty on some of these operational details.

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I just added a reply to this post - don't know where it went - lets try again

from the Tokyo FD English Information Book

Resources of Volunteer Fire Corps of the 23-Ku Area (As of April 1, 2015)

(the 23-Ku area is the east half of the Tokyo FD coverage area - it includes downtown Tokyo) (the west half of the Tokyo FD coverage area is the Tama area - it is technically outside of the 'city' - ish - sorta)

Volunteer Fire Corps - 58

Volunteer Fire Corps Division - 439

Corps Members - 16,000

Main Equipment & Tools

○Portable pumps 990

○Vans to carry portable pumps 223

○Fire Corps Division facilities 990

○Portable radios (400 MHz) 1,728

○Rescue tools 990

○Portable hydraulic rescue tools 439

This seems to mean that in the East Area there are 223 volunteer fire stations that have 1 van, 4 portable pumps, 5 portable radios, 4 rescue tools, and 2 hydraulic rescue tools each

On second thought - maybe there are 223 volunteer stations with 1 van and 1 pump each - plus 700 other places where they stash portable pumps and rescue tools

6/18/2019 - the map on the 23 ku volunteers website shows approx 400 locations - they seem to be a mixture of paid stations and volunteer stations - so why do they claim to have 990 vol "facilities"? - maybe it is 450 1 bay stations plus 450 huts (with the huts holding just 1 portable pump and 1 rescue tool each) - with the 450 1 bay stations holding 223 vans, 450 port pumps, 450 rescue tools, and 450 hydraulic rescue tools. Maybe it is 223 1 bay vol stations plus equipment at 100 paid stations. ?????