ABSTRACT
Osaka, a modern urban metropolis in Japan, experienced a tragic gas explosion in 1970 when the dispatch room of the City Fire Department was in the process of being moved to a new building. Many unforseen problems arose during this disaster: eg, there was an overall lack off leadership, confusion of communication, a need for triaged, and lack of control of mass media. The Osaka Medical Association organized a committee to resolve these problems. Their conclusions and recommendations were that a control headquarters be established at the scene of disaster, the number of ambulances and EMTs be increased, disaster tags be utilized, a special radio frequency be created, and a computeraided command and control system for fire fighting and ambulance services be introduced. These recomendations have all been followed
