1.
firefighter (historical)
A firefighter in the Edo period. These were organized groups of townspeople or samurai tasked with fighting fires in the cities.
2.
damage control, putting out fires (figurative)
The act of containing or suppressing a problem, scandal, or crisis before it spreads. Used figuratively in modern contexts, especially in business and politics.
Etymology
In the Edo period, organized firefighting groups called 火消し protected the city from frequent fires. They were divided into 町火消し (townspeople firefighters) and 大名火消し (domain lord firefighters). Edo-era 火消し are iconic figures in Japanese popular culture, often depicted with distinctive outfits and matoi (fire brigade standards).
Modern usage
In modern Japanese, the figurative sense (damage control) is very common, especially in business and political contexts. The expression 火消しに回る (to go around putting out fires / doing damage control) is particularly frequent.