noun
Historical term for a local firefighting organization in Japan before World War II. Not used for modern fire departments.
戦前の日本では、消防組が地域の防火活動を担っていた。
In pre-war Japan, the fire brigade was responsible for local fire prevention activities.
消防団 is a volunteer fire corps that still exists today, whereas 消防組 is a historical term for an earlier form of local firefighting group.
Compound of 消防 (firefighting) and 組 (group, brigade). The term reflects the organizational structure of local firefighting units in pre-WWII Japan.