Fire Service Act

This law was enacted in 1948, Act No. 186, to prevent, guard against and extinguish fires, to protect the lives, bodies and property of the people from fire, and to reduce damage caused by fires or disasters such as earthquakes. While the Fire Service Organization Law stipulates the organization of fire services, this law stipulates the functions of fire services, but also provides for the establishment of the Hazardous Materials Safety Technology Association and the Japan Fire Service Inspection Association.

With regard to fire prevention, the Act stipulates orders for fire prevention measures, orders to submit documents and on-site inspections and questioning by fire department personnel, orders to repair or suspend the use of fire-prevention objects when it is deemed necessary for fire prevention or when it is deemed that a fire would be dangerous to human life if it occurs, permission and approval for construction, fire department consent when conducting inspections, the appointment of fire prevention managers, and restrictions on disaster-prevention objects.

With regard to hazardous materials, the Act stipulates regulations on storage locations, permission to establish manufacturing plants, storage facilities and handling facilities and other supervision, as well as systems and examinations for hazardous materials handlers.

The Hazardous Materials Safety Technology Association carries out inspections and other tests and investigations related to outdoor tank storage facilities, commissioned by municipalities and other organizations. It sets standards for fire-fighting equipment and requires its installation, as well as establishing a system of fire-fighting equipment engineers. Some fire-fighting machines and equipment must pass an individual inspection, while others only require voluntary labeling and notification. The Japan Fire Equipment Inspection Association is responsible for these. The Fire Service Act also stipulates rules for fire vigilance, firefighting activities (duty of those who discover a fire to report it, duty to extinguish the fire at its source, priority of passage for fire brigades, destructive firefighting, etc.), investigation of the cause of a fire, emergency services, etc.

[Yasuhito Abe]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

火災を予防し、警戒しおよび鎮圧し、国民の生命、身体および財産を火災から保護するとともに、火災または地震等の災害による被害を軽減するための法律。昭和23年法律第186号。消防組織法が消防の組織を定めるのに対し、消防の作用を定めているが、危険物保安技術協会や日本消防検定協会の設立の規定も置く。

　火災の予防に関しては、火災予防措置の命令等、資料提出命令と消防職員の立入検査・質問、火災の予防上必要があると認める場合または火災が発生したならば人命に危険であると認める場合における防火対象物の改修・使用停止等の命令、建築の許・認可、確認に際しての消防同意、防火管理者の設置、防災対象物品の規制などが定められている。

　危険物については、貯蔵場所の規制、製造所、貯蔵所、取扱所の設置の許可その他の監督、危険物取扱者の制度と試験などを定める。

　危険物保安技術協会は市町村等の委託に基づく屋外タンク貯蔵所にかかわる審査その他の試験、調査等を行う。消防用設備については基準を設けてその設置義務を課すとともに消防設備士の制度を置く。消防用機械器具には個別検定への合格を要するものと、自主表示・届出でよいものとがある。これを担当するのが日本消防検定協会である。消防法にはさらに、火災の警戒、消火活動のルール（火災発見者の通報義務、火元等の消火義務、消防隊の優先通行、破壊消防など）、火災の原因調査、救急業務などの規定がある。

［阿部泰隆］

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