Fire risk rises, West Jakarta intensifies outreach in dense settlements
The West Jakarta city government is intensifying fire prevention outreach, simulations and drills in densely populated residential areas following increasingly hot and extreme weather conditions that are considered capable of raising the risk of fire.
Head of the West Jakarta Fire and Rescue Sub-department, Suheri, said the move was being made in response to the increasingly hot and extreme weather. Suheri assessed that these conditions could increase the risk of fires occurring in the West Jakarta area.
“This step is being taken to prevent fires in West Jakarta given the persistently extreme hot weather, as fire incidents in West Jakarta may be starting to increase,” Suheri said when contacted in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Suheri said the prevention activities would be carried out simultaneously across various parts of West Jakarta by optimising the potential that already exists within the community.
He explained that the activities would include fire simulation outreach and fire handling drills.
“The target is how fires can be handled by the community. So the management approach is through community empowerment based on what already exists in the neighbourhood,” Suheri said.
He explained that the outreach material would also be adjusted based on the results of evaluations of every fire incident that has occurred.
According to Suheri, every fire incident is evaluated to see the extent of community participation and the application of standard operating procedures in handling the incident.
“If an incident has not yet been covered by outreach, we make those areas targets for socialisation,” he said.
Meanwhile, he continued, if outreach has already been carried out but handling on the ground is still not optimal, his office will conduct another evaluation to ensure that the material and procedures provided are truly being applied by the community.
“This handling requires cooperation from all parties, including the community, relevant agencies and the fire service. Of course we cannot stand alone,” he said.
Suheri noted that his office is paying greater attention to excessive electrical loads, the use of equipment that does not meet standards, insulation leaks and imperfect cable connections.
He added that the Tambora area is one of the locations receiving attention because, based on mapping, the area has a very high level of fire risk.
“Because after being mapped, the risk level is extraordinarily high. The higher the level of activity, the higher the frequency,” he said.