Photo/Illutration A firefighter battles a fire in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, a day after the Noto Peninsula earthquake on Jan. 1, 2024. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Only one-quarter of fire departments in coastal areas at risk of tsunami damage from a Nankai Trough earthquake have compiled operational plans that take inundation forecasts into account, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.

Many departments cited personnel shortages and a lack of expertise as reasons for not drafting such plans.

After the Noto Peninsula quake struck on New Year’s Day last year, a large-scale fire swept through a market area of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.

Although a tsunami warning was in effect, fire trucks were deployed to draw seawater in areas projected to be hit by the waves.

In response to that danger, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications issued a notice last December, instructing fire departments nationwide to establish operational plans that consider tsunami flooding assumptions and long-distance water supply.

If a megaquake occurs along the Nankai Trough in the Pacific Ocean, the agency plans to prioritize the deployment of emergency fire response teams in 10 prefectures: Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Wakayama, Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kochi, Oita and Miyazaki.

In November, The Asahi Shimbun sent a questionnaire to 96 fire departments in those prefectures, which have jurisdiction over coastal areas projected to be affected by tsunami.

The questionnaire asked if they had developed plans in line with the agency’s notice. All responded.

While 50 departments replied that they were “in the process of drafting” plans, 22 said they had not yet begun the work.

When asked why plans had not been formulated, eight cited “preliminary surveys required for drafting have not been completed.”

Seven said they “cannot secure personnel,” and six picked “a lack of knowledge or know-how.” Multiple answers were allowed.

Of the 24 departments that had completed plans, 23 included specific measures to ensure the safety of personnel.

For example, 21 departments set operational timeframes based on estimated tsunami arrival times.

Nineteen of them stipulated procedures for selecting and confirming withdrawal routes, while 18 designated areas where operations may be conducted during a tsunami warning.

Even among departments without operational plans in place, 29 had set out safety measures for personnel in other documents, such as safety management manuals.

Ai Sekizawa, president of the Japan Association of Fire Protection Engineers and an expert on firefighting during earthquakes and tsunami, commended the 24 departments that have created operational plans while juggling day-to-day duties.

“Many municipalities that are expected to suffer significant damage from a Nankai Trough earthquake are small, and their fire departments have limited staff and expertise,” Sekizawa said. “The central government needs to listen to each department’s situation, provide advice and support them in drawing up plans.”

(This article was written by Yasukazu Akada, Shoko Rikimaru and Shiori Tabuchi.)

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