Firefighters on stand-by during APEC meeting
Firefighters on stand-by during APEC meeting
JAKARTA (JP): The City Fire Department has three fire engines
and 60 firefighters on standby 24-hour-a-day at the Jakarta
Hilton Convention Center during the current Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) forum meetings.
"We have deployed two fire engines and one hook and ladder
truck to help combat any fires occurring at the conference
venue," Tatang Sastrawiria, the fire department chief, told
reporters yesterday.
The fire engines will be posted near reservoirs which can
provide up to 15,000 liters of water for up to 30 minutes.
"My personnel are ready to guard the meeting venue," Tatang
said, adding that his office has established 75 command posts
throughout Jakarta to help safeguard the metropolis against
blazes.
He explained that many high-rise buildings, mainly those built
before 1980, have not yet been equipped with adequate fire
protection facilities.
"The regulation on the fire protection system was introduced
in 1992, while almost half of the 546 high-rise buildings were
built before 1980," Tatang said.
He explained that based on the regulation, high-rise buildings
must be equipped with a certain standard of fire protection
systems, such as reservoirs, hydrants, fire alarms, smoke and
heat and gas detectors.
"There is an idea of issuing a new regulation requiring hotel
guests to fill in fire cards, which contain their identities so
as to facilitate identification if a fire should gut the building
they are staying in," he said.
Inspection
He said that his office inspects the high-rise capital's
buildings once a year to check on the fire prevention equipment.
"But we have difficulties in conducting the inspection because
we don't have enough personnel. Moreover, many building managers
suspect that we are only seeking mistakes to try and extort money
from them," Tatang said.
He said that because of such suspicions many building managers
refuse to allow the inspection of their structures. "The
inspection is actually free of charge, only occasionally are
there certain costs they have to pay, and the amount is always
small," Tatang added.
Tatang also said that from January to October this year there
were 781 fires with a total loss at Rp 74 billion (about US$35.2
million), leaving two people dead and 33 others injured.
According to data the Police headquarters announced last
month, only 196, or 45.9 percent, of the 427 fire cases recorded
in the capital in the January-September period this year have
been thoroughly resolved.
"Out of the resolved cases, only four were believed to have
been cases of arson," National Police spokesman Brig. Gen.K.
Ratta said.
According to Ratta, the main problem for members of the
National Police Forensic Laboratory Center is gathering
substantial material evidence at the scene of the blaze. (yns)