Govt agencies to check buildings fire safety

Govt agencies to check buildings fire safety

JAKARTA (JP): Several government agencies would jointly
inspect all public buildings to see if they had fire safety
systems in an effort to prevent more fires, a deputy governor
said yesterday.

Deputy Governor Idroes, who is in charge of administrative
affairs, said the operation would be conducted in public places
like shopping areas, nightclubs and theaters.

"Many of the buildings are not adequately equipped with fire
safety systems," Idroes said.

He said permits would be revoked if the buildings' managers
did not improve the equipment immediately.

Provincial Decree No. 3/1992 states all city buildings should
have sufficient fire safety equipment including fire escapes,
hydrants, hose reels, sprinklers, and fire alarms on each floor.

Jakarta's fire department head Suharso said most of the city's
600-700 high rise buildings were not properly equipped with fire
safety devices.

Most buildings did not provide easy access or suitable
entrances for fire engines, Suharso said.

Fire fighters had problems getting into some big fire sites
recently because of poorly planned buildings.

When the Senen shopping complex caught fire two weeks ago,
fire engines could not get close enough to extinguish the fire
because rolling doors blocked the entrances.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said he hoped the safety equipment
inventories and building inspections would help set a model for
safe public buildings.

Idroes said agencies such as the fire department, the Office
of Public Safety, the Office of Tourism, and the Development
Supervision agency would meet Friday to discuss the matter.

The agencies would check whether the buildings had the
necessary equipment and the report would be submitted to the
buildings' managers, he said.

"When we find that a building is not equipped with the
required safety system, we will notify the management," he said.

The city announced the same plans after a big fire killed 10
people and injured many others at a Ramayana Department Store in
Bogor last March.

The plan did not materialized and occasional fires still
occurred in places where fire safety systems did not work
properly and were not checked. Two days ago fire destroyed the
Neptunus discotheque in West Jakarta.

Idroes said the plans were not implemented successfully
because of poor coordination. He did not elaborate.

He said the inspections would start soon and results recorded.
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