Procedure for Calling Rescue in Japan from a Cell Phone

God forbid anyone has to make an emergency call, but hopefully this wiki will give you an idea of what to expect.

If you are in the bc, and you need a heli/rescue, the number to call is 119. This is the number for the FIRE DEPARTMENT. If you’ve taken Evergreen’s RAC or ARAC course, you might remember Dave saying this repeatedly (or maybe he just kept repeating it to us knuckleheads that he had on that course.) Do not call 110, which is for the Police Department and Emergency Services. Why call 119, the Fire Department? Because the Fire Department has to be contacted before any heli or bc rescue gets underway. I'm not sure why exactly that is, but that's the system in Japan.

When you call emergency services in Japan from a cell phone (not just for backcountry rescue), state the Prefecture Name First. Depending on where you are and where the satellites are for your cell phone signal (assuming you have a signal in the backcountry; or once you get someplace where there is a signal), the emergency operator won't necessarily have your location. By stating the prefecture first, your location is clearly communicated. I learned about this here (in Japanese) and confirmed it with a Japanese friend.
I would assume clarity is of the utmost importance because there are so many towns that have the same name, same kanji. Ever notice there are a lot of towns called 朝日町 (asahi-cho/asahi-mura) in Japan?

I’ve had to call the Police here in Japan before, but that’s another story, another wiki. (Witnessed a violent assault and phoned the Police to report the incident when I got somewhere safe.)

I imagine a call to the Fire Department (119) to request bc rescue would go something like this:

Dispatcher:
Fire Incident or Emergency?
Dizzy:
Emergency. Nagano Prefecture; Hakuba-mura; Happo-One; Mumezawa vicinity; 1980meters; North-east face.
Party of ____ descended from 2200m, __ of them were caught in an avalanche.
Avalanche occurred at 00:00.
Request helicopter.
All members of the party were wearing beacons. We found all members using beacons. One member is unconscious and needs medical attention.

The Dispatcher will probably ask the VICTIM's NAME, AGE, and ADDRESS. So give the dispatcher what information you have.
The Dispatcher will probably also ask about 1) Visibility conditions at the rescue site and 2) Wind speed at the rescue site. General estimates are fine, e.g., "Fog" "Clear"; "5 meters per second" "40kph".
The Dispatcher will then probably give you instruction about clearing an area from gear [if possible] for a helicopter to do a hoist rescue.
The Dispatcher will probably ask for your name and cell phone number.
("will probably" is used here due to speculation, needs confirmation--2008.2.3)

When the helicopter does approach, as anyone who’s been heli-skiing before knows, anything that’s light will go flying away. Put gear together in two piles: hard goods (skis/boards) and soft goods (clothes; backpacks) and elect one person to hug down each pile while the helicopter descends and then again when it ascends after the rescue is performed.

• If you are calling from a cell phone, you may not be connected to the nearest municipality. Standard procedure is to state the Prefecture, then the Town, then the vicinity.

• Don’t call the police at 110. Call the Fire Department 119.

• Some of us are intermediate/advanced speakers of Japanese; remember to keep the explanation short and simple. Do not call until you know the medical status of your party members.

For those who read Japanese:
"通報例（事件・事故の別、場所（目標）、状況等を確実に伝えること。=太字）
• 「事件です、○○町のコンビニ・○○で強盗です。犯人はまだ建物内にいて刃物で店員を脅しています。現場への目標は近くに○○があります。」
• 「事故です。○○の交差点で車どうしがぶつかりました。片方のドライバーは明らかに怪我をしていますが119番には通報済みです。」
o 緊急通報時は気が動転しがちだが、受理台の指示に従いながら深呼吸をするなどして冷静に伝えるのが望ましい。"
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/110%E7%95%AA

Additions by Tele3190. If anyone knows, Do Fire Department Dispatchers in Japan speak English?

Updated: 12/26/2009 by Dizzy