Firefighters: Overworked, underpaid<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Don't even think about becoming a firefighter in Jakarta if it
\nis wealth that you are after.<\/p>\n
This advice came from Johnny Pangaribuan, the 52-year-old fire
\nchief of the Jakarta fire department, which deals with at least
\ntwo fires a day, whether they be in the slums or skyscrapers.<\/p>\n
Johnny said being a good firefighter requires one's true
\ndedication to the high-risk job. Getting trapped in a blazing
\ninferno or a collapsed building or getting electrocuted or
\ninjured from an explosion are only a few of the hazards that the
\nfire fighters have to bravely face on a daily basis.<\/p>\n
Want to know how much a fireman earns for such a high-risk
\nposition?<\/p>\n
\"(As civil servants) we get a meager income. In addition to
\nour regular pay, we get a monthly allowance of Rp 175,000 (about
\nUS$21) plus seven kilograms of rice -- that's all,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Johnny, who has been with the city fire department for 32
\nyears, became well known to the public in the aftermath of the
\nhuge fires that destroyed much of Jakarta's Tanah Abang market,
\nprobably Southeast Asia's largest shopping center for textiles.<\/p>\n
Although the fire department was unable to put out the blaze
\nthat raged on for five days, his men were praised for their toil.
\nJohnny made a shocking revelation: Tanah Abang market is poorly
\nequipped for dealing with fires. For example, only a few of the
\nhydrants worked.<\/p>\n
The firefighter's monthly salary and allowance are the same as
\nthose of other civil servants in the city.<\/p>\n
\"You sometimes wonder if the salary is worth the risk,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Johnny can never forget the day when one of his men was killed
\nafter he got trapped in a blaze that had gutted the shops in
\nMangga Dua, Central Jakarta. The man was trying to put out the
\nfire without proper safety equipment.<\/p>\n
\"In 2001, another firefighter was killed in West Jakarta when
\nhe accidentally turned the hose on some live wires,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, their hard work does not always please the
\nvictims of fires. Very often, panicky victims accuse firefighters
\nof being lazy or acting too slowly, or even committing arson.<\/p>\n
\"We often have to deal with panic-stricken residents whose
\nhomes are on fire. They threaten us with weapons to turn our
\nhoses on their homes first. They also damage our trucks
\nsometimes,\" he said.<\/p>\n
So do the firemen feel upset or angry about this kind of
\nbehavior?<\/p>\n
\"Definitely yes. But then we realize that it is our job to
\nhelp people who are in a panic state and are desperate. They
\ncannot control themselves. They simply don't understand the way
\nwe work,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He explained that every firefighter is assigned to a specific
\ntask when arriving at the scene of a fire. One fireman watches
\nthat the supply of water continues uninterrupted, one guards the
\nfire engine's pump, another oversees the pipes and at least two
\nmen need to control the hose.<\/p>\n
Born to the late reverend, St. Gustav Pangaribuan, and Marlina
\nAruan, Johnny believes that his profession was providential.<\/p>\n
\"As a child, I was scared of fire trucks speeding down the
\nstreet with their sirens blaring,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He came to terms with the job when he needed money to finish
\nhis studies at the Jakarta Institute for State Administration in
\nPejompongan, Central Jakarta and went on to earn a master's
\ndegree at the Institute for Economy and Finance Business in
\nTomang, West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"I had tried other jobs that I liked better but I think this
\njob (to be a firefighter) was God's intention,\" he said with a
\nsmile.<\/p>\n
Johnny was born on Aug. 31, 1950, in Padang Sidempuan, in the
\nSouth Tapanuli district of Sumatra.<\/p>\n
At the age of 12, he moved to Jakarta and in his search for a
\nbetter life he became a street urchin. He was lucky when a
\nChinese-Indonesian in Kota, West Jakarta, the late Cung Kui
\nLiong, who is better known as Yunus Sunaryo, adopted him.<\/p>\n
\"He gave me a Chinese name, Cung Kua Luan, and nickname,
\nAkuan,\" said Johnny. People who know his background will jokingly
\nask whether he is Chinese or Batak.<\/p>\n
Johnny and his wife, Betty Angela, 49, who is Chinese-
\nIndonesian, have raised two children.<\/p>\n
Their eldest, Tommy Irawan, 24, has just graduated from
\nTrisakti University's school of engineering, while Merry
\nElizabeth, 19, is studying at Tarumanegara University's school of
\npsychology.<\/p>\n
Looking back on his long career with the fire department,
\nJohnny said he has enjoyed the work.<\/p>\n
\"It's a noble job. We do other things than just putting out
\nfires, such as rescuing people and talking people out of trying
\nto commit suicide,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The meager salary does not really matter to Johnny. He
\nmaintains high morals while being modest and believing in the
\nstrength of family.<\/p>\n
He attributed the recent spate of fires in Jakarta to a lack
\nof cooperation from the management of some high-rises and public
\nplaces as well as the public's lack of awareness about the need
\nto take safety precautions.<\/p>\n
He said that Jakarta should have 20,000 hydrants, but only 900
\nare available. Meanwhile, recent checks have revealed that more
\nthan 125 of those hydrants do not work.<\/p>\n
Jakarta's fire department has 2,520 employees, but 60 percent
\nof them are over the age of 45. About 1,700 of the employees
\nfight fires, while the rest handle administrative duties.<\/p>\n
\"My dream is to make the department one big family with each
\nmember caring for the other in order to make it a solid team,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>",
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