Forget the bomb scares, just hope the hydrants work

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.