Forget the bomb scares, just hope the hydrants work
The recent spate of bombings in Jakarta and other major cities has not only cast doubt on the police's ability to deal with terrorist attacks but also made the public wonder where the next target will be. The Jakarta Post's Ida Indawati Khouw, Maria Endah Hulupi, Ahmad Junaidi and the Post's contributor Prapti Widinugraheni examine what the managements of high profile buildings have done to improve their security systems.
JAKARTA (JP): The series of bombings of high-profile locations last year has sent a chill down the spines of many people. The police probes into the incidents have turned out to be unsatisfactory to say the least.
From the high profile cases -- let's say last year's bombing of the building housing the Attorney General's Office, the Philippines ambassador's residence, the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building, or the deadly Christmas bomb attacks on churches in major cities -- what encouraging news has been received from the police?
"They have caught the small fray," you may say. Yes, but the whole evil scheme behind the plot remains clouded in mystery. People shudder at the thought that major criminals may assume it is safe to go on a bombing spree.
Aware of these concerns, the managers of major office blocks and public areas have taken serious measures to improve their security systems.
In interviews with The Jakarta Post, they claimed that everything is in place to fend off the dangers of future bomb attacks: security systems have been improved, personnel added, bomb-detectors installed and evacuation plans drawn up and tested.
The police, under fire for their perceived inability to achieve a breakthrough in the bombings, have pledged to deploy more officers to safeguard public places, such as shopping centers, mosques and churches in Jakarta.
National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro has instructed regional police forces to increase security in public buildings and areas.
National Police Information Service deputy chief Sr. Comr. Timbul Sianturi says that the Indonesian Military (TNI) will be called on for help should the situation lead to the police being overwhelmed.
So ladies and gentlemen, you are assured that the managers of major buildings and the police have gone all out to protect you from violence, such as any repetition of the series of bomb attacks perpetrated last year.
The JSX management claims it has improved evacuation procedures for offices and the trading floors. The JSX building, which accommodates 114 tenants including the Jakarta Stock Exchange and 54 multinational and domestic corporations, experienced the terror at first hand last September when a bomb exploded in one of its basement parking lots killing at least 10 people.
"We are now working on details to ensure close monitoring in and around the office area," says Oki Jamhur Warnaen, the JSX's head of general affairs.
Since the bombing, the company has tightened identity checks for staff, traders and visitors. They are made to pass through a metal detector entering the building. Oki says that in the past this was a standard security procedure but had been difficult to implement because employees complained of the inconvenience.
"It appears that the bombing has raised employees' awareness on the importance of preventive measures. They are now willing to stand in line for the required ID and security checks," he says.
Additional monitoring equipment, such as CCTVs (closed-circuit TVs), has also been installed and more security guards are deployed around-the-clock.
Professional services
Murray Bell, national director with property company Jones Lang LaSalle said his company uses the services of a professional security firm, Hill and Associates, a company which conducts research and market intelligence activities in the security field, to decide when and whether to step up security measures or get in contact with the police at any of the 38 properties it manages.
Among the buildings managed by Jones Lang LaSalle, in partnership with Procon Indah, is the JSX, whose day-to-day affairs are handled by PT Danareksa Jakarta International.
According to Danareksa's building manager, Paul Sliper, apart from assigning more security personnel and back-up police officers, and installing additional equipment like CCTVs and metal detectors in public areas around the building, the company has also received input and feedback from tenants, particularly those with special security requirements.
Training is also given to security personnel, in cooperation with the police bomb squad and the Indonesian Red Cross, enabling them to deal with explosives and perform basic life support in case of emergency. The company has a direct phone line to police headquarters, conducts regular drills and has intensified coordination with individual tenants' security guards.
Hospitals, believe it or not -- this is Indonesia, are another place susceptible to bomb attacks, as experienced by the Sarjito General Hospital in Yogyakarta in December.
The MMC hospital in Central Jakarta has already upgraded its security system.
Hospital spokesperson Aryati Daud says it conducts twice- yearly exercises on fire control and evacuation procedures in cooperation with the Jakarta Fire Department.
The five-story hospital also has fire-fighting infrastructure and equipment like emergency stairs, sprinklers and fire extinguishers. Each room is equipped with written instructions on how to deal with fires and the hospital's security guards are trained on how to handle bomb blasts.
"The guards have been instructed to be more alert and always keep an eye on the visitors," she says.
No Special measures
But not all institutions are relying on sophisticated equipment to deal with possible bombings. The Roman Catholic cathedral in Central Jakarta which was targeted in the Christmas Eve wave of bombings, for instance, has not taken any special precautions.
"We have only tightened up on surveillance by carrying out regular checks around the cathedral and surrounding areas every half hour. Previously this was done every two hours. We have also been instructed to pay more attention to visitors and their vehicles," says security guard Adi Purwanto.
Adi says the church's security unit has proposed the installation of bomb detectors at the church. "But we have not received any response. We know that these devices are very expensive," he adds.
Bomb detectors seem to be popular devices that are being installed in many buildings these days. Tonie Kadi, assistant to the building manager of Wisma Nusantara in Central Jakarta says the building's security division is now equipped with bomb detectors and stun guns -- the latter for dealing with demonstrators.
"Our building is located very close to the demonstration hotspot -- the Hotel Indonesia roundabout -- which is why we must be more alert," he says.
Wisma Nusantara's elevators are now guarded. On the top 28th floor there are two restaurants that open until late at night. Guards in the elevators make sure that restaurant patrons don't alight on any of the other floors.
Inadequate hydrants
A basic facility that major buildings lack, according to a Jakarta city official, is water hydrants, while many buildings also lack the fire-fighting equipment which is crucial following a bomb blast.
Suharso, head of the Jakarta Fire Department, suggests that no matter how well a building is bomb-proofed, in the end it is the availability and soundness of the basic infrastructure that will largely determine the number of casualties caused by a bomb blast.
Sound infrastructure is not always to be found in Jakarta's main office buildings, he says. The department's statistics released in January last year show that 14 percent of the city's 964 high-rise buildings do not have the infrastructure required for the proper use of fire-fighting and evacuation equipment.
"Even then, we can't rely on this data because whatever equipment is supposed to exist may not function for various reasons. For instance, we may now declare that a certain building has met our requirements, but months later the equipment may not function well because of poor maintenance," he says.
Based on the current regulations, before a building can be occupied, its owners should first get a recommendation from the fire department stating that it is equipped with proper fire- fighting equipment. This includes easy access to hydrants with a water pressure of at least 45 kilograms per square centimeter on every story, fire detectors, alarms, special firemen's lifts, and emergency stairs equipped with air blowers.
"The equipment is quite expensive -- it can reach over 10 percent of the total cost of the building. This is one reason why owners are sometimes reluctant to furnish their buildings with such equipment," Suharso says.
Not surprisingly, it is easy to find buildings which have long been occupied but which fail to comply with the agency's recommendations.
Suharso admits that, in general, too much of the infrastructure in Jakarta fails to meet fire safety requirements: the streets are too narrow, functioning hydrants are few and far between, and water reservoirs are almost non-existent.
"It seems that the authorities do not consider fire-safety when drawing up the city's development plan. Our firemen have frequently been unable to attack fires because our fire engines couldn't fit into the narrow alleyways. Also, hydrants and water sources are sometimes nowhere to be found," he says.