Fire Safety and Emergencies: What Hotel Staff Learn

A hotel is different from most workplaces in one way that matters in an emergency. At night it is full of people who are asleep, in a building they don't know, and often in a language that isn't the one on the signs. Staff are the people who know the building. That is why fire safety training is one of the first things a new hotel employee receives, and why it is a good thing to ask about when you are choosing where to work.

This article explains the role the law gives to a fire-prevention manager, how people qualify, what every member of staff is expected to be able to do, and what to ask a hotel. It is general information. The rules depend on the size and layout of each building and on the local fire department, so details here are a guide to the questions to ask, not a substitute for your hotel's own fire plan.

Why it comes up in hotels

Hotels are among the buildings that the Fire Service Act treats as places where many unspecified people gather and sleep. For such buildings, the owner or occupier must appoint a qualified fire-prevention manager (防火管理者) when the building passes certain thresholds, and that person is responsible for preparing a fire-prevention plan and seeing it carried out.

Guests also bring a particular problem. Overseas visitors numbered 42.7 million in 2025, so a hotel's guests often can't read the evacuation signs. In the Japan Tourism Agency's survey of departing visitors for the 2025 financial year, 10.9% named few or hard-to-understand multilingual signs as a problem during their trip. Staff are often the best sign a guest has.

The fire-prevention manager

According to local fire departments' summaries, the qualification comes in two classes, and which one a hotel needs depends on its size.

• Class A (甲種) is needed where a hotel has 30 or more people (staff and guests) and a total floor area of 300 square metres or more.
• Class B (乙種) is accepted for a hotel that has 30 or more people but is under 300 square metres.

The qualification comes from completing a course given by the fire department or an approved body. As described in local summaries, the Class A course for new applicants takes about ten hours, and the Class B course about a day, and large hotels, those with 300 or more occupants, have to take refresher courses at intervals. Tokyo Fire Department's page for one Class B course lists a day from 09:00 to 15:50 and a textbook fee of ¥2,500, which gives an idea of the scale. Details of who needs which class, and of course dates, are set locally, so check with your local fire department or the hotel.

What the fire-prevention manager does

In general terms, the person appointed:

• Prepares the fire-prevention plan, which sets out who does what in an emergency.
• Organises evacuation and firefighting drills.
• Makes sure fire doors, alarms, extinguishers and evacuation routes are in working order and not blocked.
• Trains staff.

In a small hotel the manager might be the general manager. In a large one it might be a full-time safety officer with a team.

What every member of staff should know

You don't need the qualification to do your part. In your first weeks, expect to be shown, and make sure you know, the following. These points are our summary of what hotel training typically covers, so follow your own hotel's plan if it differs.

• Where the exits and stairways are on your floor and in the public areas, and which routes you would use at night.
• Where the alarm panel is, and what the alarm sounds like.
• Where extinguishers and hoses are, and how to use them.
• How to call 119, and what to tell the operator: that it is a fire, the hotel's address, and where in the building.
• How guests are accounted for, and who keeps the list of occupied rooms.
• Who to tell, and in what order.
• How to help guests who need assistance getting out, including those who use wheelchairs or who can't hear an alarm.

The first minutes

Here is a short routine that many hotels teach in some form. It is our summary, not an official procedure.

1. Hear or see the alarm, and don't assume it is false.
2. Check what is happening, if you can do so safely.
3. Alert: raise the alarm and tell the person in charge.
4. Call 119, or confirm that it has been called.
5. Guide guests to the exits, calmly, using short clear sentences. In an emergency, simple English is enough: "Please stay calm. I'll show you the way out." (That is phrase 14 in Hotel English.)
6. Don't use lifts. Take the stairs.
7. Report to the meeting point, and tell the person in charge which rooms you checked.

Your own safety comes first. Staff are not expected to fight a fire that is out of control.

Other emergencies

Hotels also have plans for earthquakes, typhoons and floods, and for guests who are ill or injured. Training in first aid and the use of an automated external defibrillator is common. The principles are the same: know the plan, keep calm, and use simple, clear words with guests.

Language matters

Many guests are not Japanese speakers. The short phrases in Hotel English and, if you work with colleagues from abroad, the plain-Japanese habits in Working in a Mixed Team are as useful in an emergency as at check-in. Showing a guest the way, by pointing or leading, helps more than any phrase.

A night-shift scenario

This is an invented example of how a plan might work. Your own hotel's plan governs.

It is 3 a.m. and the alarm sounds. You are the only member of staff at the desk. The plan will say what a lone night person does. In general terms: look at the alarm panel to see which zone is affected, call 119 or confirm it has been called, tell any colleague on duty, use the public-address system if there is one, and guide guests towards the exits, calmly and in short sentences. Don't go into smoke. Stay where the plan tells you to stay, and meet the fire department with the room list.

Ask at interview what the plan is for night staff, because it is the situation new staff worry about most.

Typhoons and earthquakes

For these the principles are similar, and the details depend on the building and the area. A short checklist, in general terms:

• Know where guests should shelter, and how they will be told.
• After an earthquake, check for injuries and for damage that makes parts of the building unsafe, and don't use lifts until you are told they are safe.
• For typhoons and floods, know the hotel's procedure for informing guests, for moving them away from risk, and for those who can't move easily.
• Know the hotel's stock of water, food and torches, and where it is.

Ask what drills the hotel holds for each, not just for fire.

Questions to ask a hotel

• Who is the fire-prevention manager, and can staff see the fire plan?
• How often are drills held, and do night staff take part?
• What training do new staff receive in the first month, and who gives it?
• Is there first-aid or AED training?
• How are guests who need assistance identified and helped?

A clear, specific answer is a good sign.

Can you get the qualification yourself?

If you work in a hotel you may be asked to take the course, or you can ask. The qualification is not on the list of required qualifications for most hotel jobs, as far as we know. We have no data on how hotels value it when hiring, so we can't say it helps you get a job. It can help you move into roles with safety responsibilities. Ask your hotel whether it supports staff taking the course.

Where to start

In your first week, walk the nearest exit routes from your workstation and read the fire plan. Ask the questions above at interview. On KankoHR, create a profile that describes your experience, so that hotels that fit can invite you.

Sources: local fire department and city summaries of the fire-prevention manager qualification and courses (thresholds and course lengths, to be confirmed locally); Tokyo Fire Department course page; Japan Tourism Agency survey of departing visitors, 2025 financial year; JNTO visitor total as reported.