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.