Firefighters: Overworked, underpaid
Firefighters: Overworked, underpaid
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Don't even think about becoming a firefighter in Jakarta if it
is wealth that you are after.
This advice came from Johnny Pangaribuan, the 52-year-old fire
chief of the Jakarta fire department, which deals with at least
two fires a day, whether they be in the slums or skyscrapers.
Johnny said being a good firefighter requires one's true
dedication to the high-risk job. Getting trapped in a blazing
inferno or a collapsed building or getting electrocuted or
injured from an explosion are only a few of the hazards that the
fire fighters have to bravely face on a daily basis.
Want to know how much a fireman earns for such a high-risk
position?
"(As civil servants) we get a meager income. In addition to
our regular pay, we get a monthly allowance of Rp 175,000 (about
US$21) plus seven kilograms of rice -- that's all," he said.
Johnny, who has been with the city fire department for 32
years, became well known to the public in the aftermath of the
huge fires that destroyed much of Jakarta's Tanah Abang market,
probably Southeast Asia's largest shopping center for textiles.
Although the fire department was unable to put out the blaze
that raged on for five days, his men were praised for their toil.
Johnny made a shocking revelation: Tanah Abang market is poorly
equipped for dealing with fires. For example, only a few of the
hydrants worked.
The firefighter's monthly salary and allowance are the same as
those of other civil servants in the city.
"You sometimes wonder if the salary is worth the risk," he
said.
Johnny can never forget the day when one of his men was killed
after he got trapped in a blaze that had gutted the shops in
Mangga Dua, Central Jakarta. The man was trying to put out the
fire without proper safety equipment.
"In 2001, another firefighter was killed in West Jakarta when
he accidentally turned the hose on some live wires," he said.
Unfortunately, their hard work does not always please the
victims of fires. Very often, panicky victims accuse firefighters
of being lazy or acting too slowly, or even committing arson.
"We often have to deal with panic-stricken residents whose
homes are on fire. They threaten us with weapons to turn our
hoses on their homes first. They also damage our trucks
sometimes," he said.
So do the firemen feel upset or angry about this kind of
behavior?
"Definitely yes. But then we realize that it is our job to
help people who are in a panic state and are desperate. They
cannot control themselves. They simply don't understand the way
we work," he said.
He explained that every firefighter is assigned to a specific
task when arriving at the scene of a fire. One fireman watches
that the supply of water continues uninterrupted, one guards the
fire engine's pump, another oversees the pipes and at least two
men need to control the hose.
Born to the late reverend, St. Gustav Pangaribuan, and Marlina
Aruan, Johnny believes that his profession was providential.
"As a child, I was scared of fire trucks speeding down the
street with their sirens blaring," he said.
He came to terms with the job when he needed money to finish
his studies at the Jakarta Institute for State Administration in
Pejompongan, Central Jakarta and went on to earn a master's
degree at the Institute for Economy and Finance Business in
Tomang, West Jakarta.
"I had tried other jobs that I liked better but I think this
job (to be a firefighter) was God's intention," he said with a
smile.
Johnny was born on Aug. 31, 1950, in Padang Sidempuan, in the
South Tapanuli district of Sumatra.
At the age of 12, he moved to Jakarta and in his search for a
better life he became a street urchin. He was lucky when a
Chinese-Indonesian in Kota, West Jakarta, the late Cung Kui
Liong, who is better known as Yunus Sunaryo, adopted him.
"He gave me a Chinese name, Cung Kua Luan, and nickname,
Akuan," said Johnny. People who know his background will jokingly
ask whether he is Chinese or Batak.
Johnny and his wife, Betty Angela, 49, who is Chinese-
Indonesian, have raised two children.
Their eldest, Tommy Irawan, 24, has just graduated from
Trisakti University's school of engineering, while Merry
Elizabeth, 19, is studying at Tarumanegara University's school of
psychology.
Looking back on his long career with the fire department,
Johnny said he has enjoyed the work.
"It's a noble job. We do other things than just putting out
fires, such as rescuing people and talking people out of trying
to commit suicide," he said.
The meager salary does not really matter to Johnny. He
maintains high morals while being modest and believing in the
strength of family.
He attributed the recent spate of fires in Jakarta to a lack
of cooperation from the management of some high-rises and public
places as well as the public's lack of awareness about the need
to take safety precautions.
He said that Jakarta should have 20,000 hydrants, but only 900
are available. Meanwhile, recent checks have revealed that more
than 125 of those hydrants do not work.
Jakarta's fire department has 2,520 employees, but 60 percent
of them are over the age of 45. About 1,700 of the employees
fight fires, while the rest handle administrative duties.
"My dream is to make the department one big family with each
member caring for the other in order to make it a solid team," he
said.