Gas Leaks Most Frequent Cause of Fires, Cikini Strengthens Volunteer Firefighters

The Cikini Urban Village, Menteng District, Central Jakarta, together with the Cikini Fire Department Task Force, has trained 30 volunteer firefighters (Redkar) to enhance residents’ ability to prevent and handle fires. The training, held in the courtyard of the Cikini Urban Village office on Thursday, was attended by representatives from community units (RW), the Urban Village Consultative Body (LMK), Posyandu cadres, public infrastructure and facilities handlers (PPSU), PKK cadres, and local residents.

Cikini Village Head Redy Firmansyah stated that the training is part of an educational effort to enable the community to carry out fire prevention and initial response quickly and accurately. “Each RW has a Redkar representative, so I hope the knowledge gained from this activity can be passed on to other residents regarding fire prevention and response,” Redy said in Jakarta on Thursday.

According to him, the presence of Redkar in every RW is crucial for strengthening community preparedness against potential fires. The volunteers are expected not only to have the ability to perform initial handling but also to educate residents on preventive measures. Community involvement is necessary because early intervention can prevent a fire from spreading before firefighters arrive at the scene. Therefore, residents need to know the correct actions to take when discovering a source of fire without neglecting personal safety.

Redy cited a recent fire in the Cikini area as an example. He noted that coordination between residents and the relevant regional working units (SKPD) allowed the fire to be dealt with promptly, preventing it from spreading. “Recently, there was a fire disaster in the Cikini Urban Village area, specifically at the Tunggal Optical building, and thank God, thanks to precise coordination between residents and the relevant SKPD, the fire did not spread further and was quickly brought under control,” he said. This experience illustrates the importance of community preparedness and coordination with officials when a fire occurs. The sooner an incident is detected and reported, the greater the chance of controlling the flames before they spread to surrounding buildings.