Fire prime concern for apartment tenants

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

New apartments and condominiums continue to flood the market despite the generally low occupancy rates. What are the concerns of most people living in apartments and condominiums? The following is the fourth of a series of articles on apartments and condominiums in the capital.

Although he noticed that the developer had provided his apartment with several fire safety facilities, Glenn, 31, a tenant of the 22nd floor of an apartment in Kuningan, South Jakarta, still worried that he couldn't escape if a fire broke out.

"I can't help thinking about whether I could get out of my apartment quickly and safely if a fire broke out. It is so high, and we can't just jump through a window. I feel safer in a house as I could quickly run outside if a fire happened," the tenant of Taman Rasuna Apartment told The Jakarta Post.

Glenn said that he was aware that there were emergency fire exits on his floor, as well as fire extinguishers, sprinklers, apartment fire alarms, a hydrant near his apartment door, but even all these facilities couldn't put him at ease.

"I have no problems with other security threats, such as robbery or theft, as I feel that we have enough guards here. But what can I do in the event of fire?," he said.

A property analyst at Coldwell Banker Commercial, Hadi Syamsudin, said that besides facilities such as sports centers, mini markets, easy parking, and easy access, other facilities such as adequate security personnel, CCTV security monitoring, and fire safety facilities should be provided by apartment developers to ensure their tenants are safe.

Especially in relation to fire threats, he said, prospective tenants should check the availability of fire safety facilities before deciding to stay in an apartment.

"Although most developers have tried to comply with fire prevention regulations, prospective tenants should be careful and examine whether the place has complete fire safety facilities," he said.

According to City Bylaw No. 3/1992 on fire prevention, a building must have well-maintained sprinklers, fire extinguishers, hydrant pumps and pipes, two fire escapes, and easy road access for fire trucks.

Tenants such as Glenn have good reason to be concerned about fire, as according to Jakarta's fire department around 50 percent of high-rise buildings in the capital -- offices and apartments -- do not have adequate fire safety facilities as required by law.

Fire department deputy head Martono said that, as found during recent checks, many high-rise buildings are still in breach of the law.

"We conduct checks at least once every three years as we are aware that such facilities must be maintained to keep them in working order. We found many violations. We have warned developers to comply with regulations or we will prosecute them. Many then quickly fixed up their fire safety facilities," he told the Post.

Ferry S. Supanji, vice president of PT Bakrie Swasakti Utama, the developer of Taman Rasuna Apartment, however, gave an assurance that all their apartment buildings complied with regulations, and provided safety facilities as required by law.

"We've equipped every apartment with sprinklers, fire extinguishers, and a fire alarm, as well as two emergency exits on each of the floors. There was once a fire in one of the apartments, and the fire facilities worked to extinguish the fire," he said.

He said that once a year they asked tenants to conduct a fire drill.

How safe is the apartment?

1. Look around the area of the apartment building to see if there is adequate and easy access for fire trucks.
2. There must be several hydrant pumps around the apartment building.
3. Check whether emergency exits and staircases exist that are wide enough to be used by several people. There must be two emergency exits on every floor.
4. Before going into the apartment, check the corridor for hydrant pipes, extinguishers, and sprinklers. If possible, try out one of the extinguishers to see if it works.
5. Inside the apartment, sprinklers must be installed -- the more the better -- as well as a fire extinguisher and a fire alarm. Ask the operator to test if the alarm and sprinklers work.