Fire prime concern for apartment tenants

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.