Firemen sign a death contract

Six firemen, led by Danu Sisworo, arrived at the burning Harco Mangga Dua building in West Jakarta on Friday morning, April 4, 1997, at about 7 a.m. They used an emergency lift to reach the fourth floor of the building to search for hydrants. When they found the hydrants, none of them worked.

Danu bravely refused to leave the room from which the fire had originated. Instead, he valiantly persisted in trying to extinguish the fire. The five other firemen left the building in time but Danu was trapped.

He was actually seen at a window waving for help. The window was too narrow for him to climb through, even if he had managed to do so there was no ledge to stand on, and he was four stories above the ground. He threw his beret, belt and shoes through the window to attract attention.

"Help me... help! Evacuate me," he called through a two-way radio.

The other firemen began to cry as they realized none of the fire engines had a long enough ladder. Their anguish was clear as Danu's waving hands were no longer visible amid the thick black smoke that poured from the window.

Other attempts to rescue Danu where thwarted as the building's emergency exit doors were locked. The firemen broke them down with crowbars and a chain saw but time was running out.

"How come the emergency doors are locked?" a frustrated fireman called out.

The fireman then went to use the building's electric water pump, but it needed maintenance and was useless.

"The automatic sprinklers did not work either," the fireman said. Even the emergency lights and the exit signs were not functioning because the generator was not on.

Five hours later, Danu's body was recovered.

All the firemen wept as they witnessed the body of one of their team leaders carried out on a stretcher, hoisted above the shoulders of his friends. Danu, who had been a fireman for 26 years left behind him a wife and four children.

It was a incident deeply lodged in the memories of the firemen of the Jakarta Fire Department. It was also recorded in a documentary.

Naturally a fireman's job is dangerous.

"We've signed a death contract," Johnny Pangaribuan, the city's top fireman, said.

Besides being trapped in a burning building, a fireman could also be electrocuted by accidentally shooting water onto a power line; if the state-owned electricity company, PT PLN, failed to shut down the power.

A fireman could loose his life by falling from a great height or in a car accident on the way to the scene.

Within the last five years, four firemen have been killed. Two of them died in fires, including Danu, while another two died in traffic accidents on the way to the scene.

All for a very limited salary.

According to Sardiyo Sardi, spokesman for the department, most of the firemen receive a paycheck worth Rp 1.88 million (US$221.20) a month, inclusive of a fixed-rated special allowance of Rp 175,000.

The special allowance is given out of consideration for the dangers of the job.

They are also obliged to pay a life insurance premium of Rp 20,000 per month. If they die in action, their families may be able to claim around Rp 20 million in insurance.

However, Gustopo, who is also a team leader at the Central Jakarta Fire Department, said that it was a risk that the firemen had to accept as part of their everyday lives.

"I am proud of my profession," he added, and mused that the good deeds that he had accomplished as part of his job were his reserve for the afterlife.

-- Zakki Hakim