Osaka Municipal Fire Department

Osaka Municipal Fire Department

大阪市消防局
A medallion created in 1948 to symbolise the spirit of Osaka's firefighters.
Operational area
Country	Japan
Prefecture	Osaka
City	Osaka City
Agency overview[1]
Established	March 1948 (1948-03)
Annual calls	232,420 (2016)
Employees	3,484 (2016)
Staffing	Career
Facilities and equipment[1]
Stations	25
Substations	64
Fire engines	403
Fireboats	4
Fire helicopters	2
Auxiliary vehicles	52
Transportable pumps	738
Website
https://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/shobo/index.html

The Osaka Municipal Fire Department (Japanese: 大阪市消防局, Hepburn: Ōsaka-shi Shōbōchō) is the fire department of Osaka City, Japan.

The first organized firefighting service in Osaka was established in 1634, when four hikeshi brigades were formed in the city, one professional and four volunteer; many of the members of the volunteer brigades worked in construction, as the primary way of preventing fire spreading in the dense wooden housing districts was to tear houses down to create firebreaks. However, in 1869 following the Meiji Restoration, 10 new professional fire brigades with around 500 firefighters between them were formed in the city; not long after however the local police took control of the fire brigade in 1880.^[2]

During the Pacific War, Osaka was subjected to severe bombing raids, including firebombing; it is estimated that over 10,000 people were killed in these raids, with over 310,000 houses destroyed.^[2]

Following the end of the war, firefighting in Japan was reorganised, creating the modern municipal fire department system; as a result, the Osaka Municipal Fire Department was created in 1948.^[2]

The medallion that forms the modern logo of the OMFD was created in 1948, and has many constituent parts:^[3]

• The shield shape represents the duty of the OMFD to protect the residents of Osaka and their property.
• The red border represents both fire and the burning devotion of Osaka firefighters.
• The blue background represents water as a tool of firefighting.
• The Miotsukushi (symbol of the City of Osaka) and wordmark (reading City of Osaka) represents the OMFD's devotion to upholding the authority of the city and fulfilling the trust placed in them by the people of Osaka.

Fire stations form the basic subunits of the Osaka Municipal Fire Department (as is typical with Japanese fire departments), with each one being a self-contained command structure, while specialised functions such as Planning, Fire Prevention, and High Command are contained within the department Headquarters.^[4] There are 25 fire stations across the city, with 64 substations/branch stations subordinate to the main stations.^[1] The 25 fire stations are:^[5]

• Tenroku gas explosion (1970) - A gas leak during construction at a metro station lead to a large explosion, killing 79 and injuring 420 others.
• Sennichi Department Store Building fire (1972) - A fire in a crowded department store killed 118 and injured 78 others.
• Osaka movie theatre fire (2008) - An arson attack on an adult video arcade killed 16 and injured 9 others.
• Nishi Umeda Clinic fire (2021) - A suspected arson attack on a psychiatric clinic killed 27 (including the suspect) and injured 1 other.

• Osaka Municipal Fire Department (English)
• Osaka Municipal Fire Department (Japanese)