2024 Hokuryu Firefighting Exercise (Hokuryu Town, Hokkaido): Strict Training and Efforts to Protect the Safety and Security of Town Residents and Their Lives

Monday, July 1, 2024

On June 28 (Fri.) from 14:30, the Hokuryu Fire Brigade (led by Commander Shigeyuki Nakayama) held the Hokuryu Fire Drill at the parking lot on the north side of the Hokuryu Town Hall. From 17:00, a reception was held in the main hall of the Hokuryu Community Center.

2024 Hokuryu Fire Fighting Exercise

The purpose of the festival is to promote close cooperation between the Hokuryu Fire Company Brigades and the Hokuryu Branch Office, to demonstrate the comprehensive firefighting capabilities of the town, and to practice firefighting techniques, thereby raising the morale of firefighters and promoting fire prevention awareness among the local residents.

• Sponsored by:Fukagawa Area Fire Fighting Association, Hokuryu Fire Brigade
  　　　Fukagawa District Fire Fighting Association Fukagawa Fire Station Hokuryu Branch
• Sponsorship:Hokuryu Fire Brigade Union Supporters' Association
• Cooperation:Fukagawa Police Station, Asahikawa District, Hokkaido Police
  　　　Hokuryu Town Traffic Safety Instructors Association
  　　　Yawara Nursery School in Hokuryu Town
• Name of participating squad:Fukagawa Area Firefighting Association, Hokuryu Fire Brigade No.1
  　　　　　Fukagawa Area Firefighting Association, Hokuryu Fire Brigade No.2
  　　　　　Fukagawa District Fire Fighting Association Fukagawa Fire Station Hokuryu Branch
• Venue :Hokuryu Town Hall, north parking lot

Narrated by four female firefighters

Opening Ceremony

Fire Prevention Song" by school children

Fire Prevention Song" by the Yawara Nursery School Children's Firefighting Club students.
Cute children in matching happi coats and waving small coats sang the "Fire Prevention Song!

Fire Prevention Pledge" by school children

Then came the two preschoolers!

Keirei!"
We will never play with fire!
"Keiyoe!" and loudly pledged the oath!

Preparation for opening ceremony

1. Personnel machinery and equipment inspection report:Each commander ⇒ Deputy commander ⇒ General commander
2. General Manager Instructions:Mr. Takashi Ukai, General Manager

Opening Ceremony

Opening Speech: Mr. Akinori Fujii, Deputy Commander

Salute to the Flag

Silent prayer for the deceased firefighters

Personnel Report Mr. Takashi Ukai, General Manager

Greetings from the commissioner: Mr. Yasuhiro Sasaki, commissioner (Mayor of Hokuryu Town)

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome all the guests to the historic and traditional 2024 Hokuryu Firefighting Exercise.

For this prestigious firefighting exercise, under the command of Commander Nakayama, the local fire department has been making great efforts, day and night, in the local preventive firefighting operations to compensate for the lives and property of the town residents.

I would like to express my deep respect and gratitude to all the firefighters, and I hope that the exercise will be a great success by demonstrating the fruits of their daily training without regret.

In recent years, abnormal weather has become the norm, and there is no end to the damage caused by natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, snow damage, tornadoes, and landslides caused by torrential rains, resulting in the loss of many lives and property.

Fire departments are expected to respond not only to disasters that occur on a daily basis, but also to natural disasters caused by earthquakes, windstorms, floods, vehicle accidents, and emergencies due to the protection of the public, etc., in accordance with the background of the times.

Last fiscal year, Hokuryu Town is also working to strengthen its firefighting efforts by updating sirens in the Hekisui district and installing two earthquake-resistant firewater tanks.

When a disaster strikes, I would like to reiterate my request that all members of the fire brigade respond quickly with modern firefighting equipment and the skills they have cultivated through training, so that they can fulfill the trust of local residents.

In conclusion, we would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Fire Supporters' Association and traffic safety instructors for their cooperation in this exercise, and to the members of the Yawara Nursery School Children's Firefighting Club for their contributions to the exercise today.

I would like to conclude my address by extending my best wishes for the continued good health of all the distinguished guests present here today. I will now conclude," said Mr. Sasaki.

inspection (o

closing of a ceremony

exercises

discipline

• Company commander:Mr. Kimihiro Suzuki, General Manager, 2nd Division
• 1st Platoon (17 members):Mr. Osamu Komatsu, Platoon Leader, 1st Division, Team Leader
• 2nd Platoon (17 members):Mr. Yohei Tsuji, Platoon Leader, 2nd Division, Team Leader

Fire pump operation without water

• 1st Division (small pumps):Extension of one line of double-wound hose by hand-winding, Mr. Masayuki Takada, Group Leader
• Second division (small pumps):Extension of one line of double-wound hose by hand, Mr. Akito Yamagai, Group Leader
• Division 1 (Senryu-go):Extension of one line of double-wound hose by hand, group leader, Mr. Daisuke Fujita
• Division 2 (Jongryong-go):Extension of one line of double-wound hose by hand, Mr. Billions of Asakura, Group Leader

search training

Assumption

• Date and time:Friday, June 28, 2024, 3:50 p.m.
• Awareness:ambulance and fire brigade emergency tel. no. (in Japan)
• Location:Near the Hokuryu Town Joint Government Building
• Weather conditions:Wind direction: Southwest Wind speed: 10/ms Humidity: 45

Drone operation commentary: Fukagawa Fire Department Hokuryu Branch, Chief Takakatsu Kazuma

One controller operates the drone and one operates the reconnaissance camera.

In 2022, a disaster drone was purchased with a fire brigade equipment maintenance subsidy. In April 2023, a drone team was established in the Hokuryu Fire Company. The drone team was established to respond to disasters jointly with fire brigade members and staff.

The main activities of the team are to search, identify the spread of fire, identify the area of fire, reconnaissance of about five risk areas for landslides in the town, and identify those in need of rescue in the event of natural disasters such as flooding.

Today's search training will show you a series of steps.

We have a monitor here, but normally we install a monitor inside the fire truck and the command headquarters checks it while conducting reconnaissance.

This time, I would like to connect the monitor part to the TV here so that everyone can see what kind of reconnaissance we are doing. Please take care of it," explained Chief Suduma.

Outline】 【Guideline

The communications commander of the Hokuryu Branch Office received a report that a person was reported missing while picking wild vegetables in the Wa area. Immediately, the siren was sounded and the fire brigade and vehicles of the branch station were ordered to mobilize.

1. Dispatch is ordered by siren (call to arms)
2. The dispatched vehicle will run with its red revolving lights on and siren blaring.
3. Vehicle speeds should be less than the general legal speed limit.
4. The search will begin at the direction of the general commanding officer.
5. Drone teams conduct searches by drone.
6. Traffic control is conducted by police officers and traffic instructors.
7. The end of the search will be indicated by the general commander's radio.

simultaneous discharge of water

This time, the actual water discharge was not carried out because the "Hokuryu Town Disaster Prevention Stockpile Warehouse Construction Work" was being carried out at the location where the water was actually discharged.

marching in file

The procession continues with the group headquarters, the members of the 1st and 2nd Branches, and the vehicle units: the large water tank truck "Shiryu-go", the fire pump truck with water tank "Shinryu-go", the fire pump truck CD-II "Izumi Ryu-go", the fire pump truck CD-II "Jongryu-go", the loading vehicle with small power pump "Koryu-go".

closing ceremony

Critique by the Chief Supervisor: Mr. Shigeyuki Nakayama, Chief Supervisor

I would like to thank all of our distinguished guests for observing today's comprehensive exercise.

We believe that the members of the group were able to fully demonstrate the results of the recent training and achieved the prescribed results.

We also believe that today's exercise was very effective in helping the participants acquire disaster response skills and improve their teamwork.

We, firefighters, as the most familiar disaster prevention organization, are determined to make further efforts to meet the trust of local residents and face disasters.

In conclusion, I would like to express my hope that Hokuryu Town will become a bright and pleasant place to live, free from disasters, and I would like to ask all the distinguished guests for further guidance in the future. I end!

Congratulatory speech by guest of honor: Mr. Shoichi Nakamura, Chairman of the Hokuryu Town Council

I would like to congratulate you all for holding the 2024 Hokuryu Firefighting Exercise in good weather and in the presence of many distinguished guests from all walks of life. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations.

I would like to thank all the members of the group for going through the preliminary training and for taking time out of their busy schedules to appear today.

I would like to once again ask for your continued support this year for the activities of the fire brigade as well as the activities of the division, while keeping the Commander Nakayama at the center of our efforts.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Mayor Sasaki for his tireless efforts in carrying out his duties as the commissioner of the town without a hitch, as this was his first firefighting event as mayor.

I would like to ask for your continued support in various ways for the Hokuryu Fire Company for the safety and security of the town's residents.

The 23 children of the "Children's Firefighting Club" from the Sunflower and Sakura groups of the Yayawara Nursery School, under the guidance of the members of the club for more than 10 years, sang the "Fire Prevention Song" and "Fire Prevention Oath" in loud voices, and sang the "Keirei! I feel a warm and indescribable feeling every time I see them. I feel so happy and indescribable every time I see them.

Thank you very much for your hard work on the discipline training and the other series of drills. I think the training was excellent, and I think you did an excellent job.

In particular, this year, drone search drills have been replaced by simulated fire drills.

Although there have not been many search activities in recent years, we once conducted search activities around the Etai-betsu Dam and along the Uryu River. There was a limit to the amount of walking that could be done, and in the end a helicopter was the only way to find them. I believe that searching from the sky is effective. Recently, bears have become a serious problem. When searching in mountain forests, every second counts.

In addition, the Senryu will be renewed this year. Various types of equipment and materials, including fire prevention water tanks, are being installed.

We hope that you will make every effort through daily drills to prevent fires and disasters that may occur at any time. We hope that the damage can be minimized.

In conclusion, I would like to express my hope that through this exercise, the citizens of the town will further build up their awareness of fire prevention and disaster prevention, and that there will be no disasters without fires, and I wish for the continued growth of the Hokuryu Fire Company and the good health of all participants. Thank you very much for your hard work today. Congratulations," said Chairperson Nakamura.

Fujihiko Kondo, Chief, Fukagawa Police Station, Asahikawa District, Hokkaido Police

As Chief Fujihiko Kondo of the Fukagawa Police Station was unable to attend due to personal business, Chief Seiji Oshima of the Numata Branch Office read the congratulatory address in his place.

I would like to congratulate you all on the grand opening of the Hokuryu Firefighting Exercise today.

I would also like to thank everyone for their deep understanding and cooperation in the police administration.

I would like to express my deep respect for the efforts of the Hokuryu Fire Company, which has a brilliant outlook and history, for their dedication to the noble task of protecting the lives and property of residents from fire and disaster with a spirit of deep hometown loyalty and a multifaceted sense of justice, in addition to their busy main business.

I have just witnessed the discipline drill, pump maneuvers, search drill, and marching in formation under the command of the general commanding officer, and was impressed by the high morale and dignified, disciplined volunteers, and felt truly encouraged and empowered.

In recent years, large-scale natural disasters and accidents have been occurring frequently throughout Japan, and in Hokkaido, disasters caused by extreme weather conditions are on the increase. We are concerned that the number of firefighting and emergency rescue activities will increase in the future, which will be more difficult than ever before.

I hope that you will continue to maintain high morale, work hard to further improve convenience, and live up to the expectations and trust of the local residents.

In order to fulfill our responsibility to protect the lives, bodies, and property of local residents, we, the police, will maintain close cooperation with you on a daily basis and make further efforts to ensure the safety and security of local residents.

In conclusion, I would like to extend my best wishes to the firefighters and all those involved in the firefighting industry, as well as to all those present here today.

June 28, 2024, Fujihiko Kondo, Chief of Fukagawa Police Station, Asahikawa District

Salute to the Flag

Closing Remarks : Mr. Mitsuya Yamamoto, Deputy Commander

With the above, the 2024 Hokuryu Firefighting Exercise has come to an end.

Salute to the Commander-in-Chief: Mr. Takashi Ukai, Commander-in-Chief

Afterwards, a reception was held in the main hall on the second floor of the Hokuryu-cho Community Center.

With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers for the precious souls of the Hokuryu firefighters, who go through rigorous training and hard work to protect the safety and security of the town's residents and their lives.

2024 Hokuryu Fire Fighting Exercise Plan

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