TOKYO >> Japan’s 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.

The emergency fire teams are dispatched at the instruction of the FDMA chief for rescue operations following large-scale disasters that are difficult for local firefighting organizations to cope with independently. The teams were set up following the deadly 1995 Kobe earthquake.

The firefighting robots can be controlled remotely from several hundred meters away. Because they can operate on badly damaged roads and in narrow alleys, they are expected to speed up initial fire extinguishing operations.

Tackling the Noto quake fire was a lengthy process because initial operations were delayed, due to inaccessible roads and other issues, resulting in extensive damage.

The robots are also expected to be useful at sites with conditions, such as extremely high temperatures and the presence of chemicals, that make them difficult for firefighters to address.

When a Japan Airlines plane collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda Airport last January, for instance, the area around the planes became extremely hot, and Tokyo Fire Department used robots to put out the flames.

The FDMA plans to accept applications from local fire departments interested in using the robots. They will be stationed at three locations.

The agency also intends to help the emergency fire teams introduce specialized vehicles, including small, highly mobile, lightweight vehicles and rescue vehicles that can be airlifted by Self-Defense Forces helicopters. The teams would be immediately dispatched to disaster areas with damaged roads to take command of rescue operations.