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. (02)