Senen Inpres market lacks basic fire equipment<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): If a fire broke out at the Central Jakarta
\nInpres market in Senen, the thousands of merchants from the 2,204
\nkiosks would have to depend on a handful of security guards with
\naccess to 20 fire extinguishers to save them.<\/p>\n
There are no fire hydrants anywhere in the crowded two-story
\nmarket that covers 15,000-square-meters. Hydrants would be of no
\nuse anyway because intake pipes have yet to be installed in the
\nmarket which was built in 1977.<\/p>\n
\"Firefighters would have to pull water from the Sunter lake or
\nthe nearby river,\" said Gendro Sulistiyo, who is in charge of
\nBlock III of the market.<\/p>\n
The Sunter lake is located more than five kilometers northeast
\nof the market. It would take hours for firefighters to break
\nthrough traffic to get to the lake.<\/p>\n
The Instruksi Presiden (Inpres) markets were built with funds
\nfrom the presidential office and are aimed at accommodating
\nstreet traders who cannot afford expensive market rents. Gendro
\nsaid it is difficult for the city's 56 Inpres markets to get more
\nthorough safety equipment.<\/p>\n
According to a 1992 city rule on fire prevention and
\nmanagement, every market must have a manual alarm for every 185
\nsquare meters on the ground floor, and automatic alarms on the
\nupper floors.<\/p>\n
One fire hydrant should be available for every 200 meters and
\ncorridors should be at least 1.2-meters wide, the regulation
\nstipulates.<\/p>\n
The Senen market has been hit by four fires since 1977. The
\ntraders say they rely on colleagues in neighboring blocks to
\nalert the fire brigade in case of a fire, and on the market's
\nside-alleys to escape.<\/p>\n
The alleys are just wide enough to run through, but would soon
\nbe clogged by panicky traders trying to save their merchandise
\nfrom a fire.<\/p>\n
The nearby Block VI market has 2,000 kiosks manned by more
\nthan double that number of traders. The few fire extinguishers
\nare stowed in the security office.<\/p>\n
The four-story market block, managed by city-owned PD Pasar
\nJaya, has fire hydrants on every floor. None of them work.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot leave anything downstairs. We have lost equipment,
\nincluding hoses,\" said Supriyono, a maintenance officer, echoing
\nthe excuse given by an Inpres market official.<\/p>\n
Supriyono claims that each afternoon traders are reminded to
\nswitch off their electricity.<\/p>\n
Despite a 1991 fire which destroyed 29 kiosks, the fire alarm
\nsystem is basic -- six security guards and 15 groups of 30
\nhomeless men who keep a 24-hour watch. And the only time security
\nguards at the city's 163 markets practice fire drills is during
\nbasic training, admitted Lihardin Sipayung, the PD Pasar Jaya
\nspokesman.<\/p>\n
Lihardin said that the one-story markets built in the 1970s
\nlack fire safety equipment. Tenants are expected to buy their own
\nextinguishers. Markets built later have smoke detectors, but lack
\nsigns pointing to fire exits, he said.<\/p>\n
The head of Block VI, Gerda Rosalina Marbun, is in charge of
\nreminding tenants to keep the market safe.<\/p>\n
She says she recently sent a letter to the Ramayana department
\nstore management asking them to open access between Block III and
\nBlock IV.<\/p>\n
Ramayana stepped up safety measures after 10 of its employees
\nburned to death in Bogor. The company has installed several fire
\nextinguishers on each floor and has cleared formerly blocked fire
\nescapes.<\/p>\n
The Senen market maintenance officer, however, pointed out
\nthat many of the stores' rolling doors block hallways,
\neffectively cutting the store off from the rest of the market,
\nand risking a tragedy like Bogor.<\/p>\n
Insurance<\/p>\n
Most Inpres markets, like Pos Pengumben in West Jakarta, are
\nbasic one-story structures with open-ended corridors. Although
\nfire extinguishers are also stowed in the security office, the
\nPos Pengumben market has 10 fire extinguishers for its 100
\nkiosks. Senen has 20 extinguishers for more than 2,000 kiosks.<\/p>\n
The city market company has insured a number of its new
\nmarkets, but fire insurance is unpopular among traders. Herman
\nManurung, a Senen merchant, said she canceled her policy because
\nthe premiums kept increasing. Suyono, a gold trader at Pos
\nPengumben, said she also stopped because sales weren't good
\nenough for her to afford insurance.<\/p>\n
Nono Taryono, the chief of the Cipulir wholesale market, said
\nthe management does not recommend that traders take out
\ninsurance.<\/p>\n
\"The source of many fires is frequently a kiosk owner who is
\ngoing bankrupt,\" Nono reasoned.<\/p>\n
Arson, he said, is suspected to be the main cause of loss to
\nuninsured traders. (anr\/yns)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/senen-inpres-market-lacks-basic-fire-equipment-1447893297",
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