The Fire Service Law defines substances that easily ignite, such as gasoline and kerosene, and substances that are difficult to extinguish, such as those that once ignited cause flames to spread rapidly, as hazardous materials.
A variety of safety measures have traditionally been taken to control such substances. However, with the advances being made in scientific technologies and the development of efforts to solve environmental issues, we are seeing the emergence of recycled resources and new industrial materials that are not fully understood in terms of their potential to cause fires and explosions.
These new materials must be added to the growing list of those considered hazardous.
We are conducting R&D, including efforts to elucidate the hazards of new materials, and are establishing new firefighting technologies, in an effort to ensure an even safer society.