High-rise buildings to prepare for fire safety

JAKARTA (JP): Newly built high-rise buildings should be equipped with their own fire safety systems because the city's fire departments have limited capabilities due to lack of equipment and personnel, a city official warned yesterday.

"Most ladders installed on the fire engines have a maximum reach of 40.9 meters, or the height of an eight-story building.

"So, you can imagine what would happen if a fire broke out in a taller building," H.P. Butar Butar of the city's fire departments agency told a press conference at the Le Meridien Hotel yesterday.

He also reminded the public that many old tall buildings in the city have poor fire safety layouts, especially the exits.

To ensure the safety of a building, ideally there should be a fire safety inspection conducted by a certified private or state agency at least three times a year.

"Again, we lack capable personnel to handle such an inspection," Butar Butar said.

The issue of fire safety for skyscrapers has become important following the plan of the city administration to issue a gubernatorial decree amending the law relating to high-rise buildings in the capital.

The decree will mean there will no longer be a limit on the height of buildings in Jakarta, a city where space is at a premium.

A.R. Sijabat, director of Building Management at the Directorate General of Housing, Planning and Urban Development (Cipta Karya) at the Ministry of Publics Works, noted that Singapore is ahead of Jakarta in terms of a fire safety system.

It has already applied a new regulation requiring each high- rise building management to have at least one eligible manager in charge of fire safety.

"We will certainly go in that direction. It's just a matter of time," he promised, adding that his office has introduced no less than 10 requirement for constructing new buildings.

He admitted, however, that the reinforcement of such requirements is still weak.

Noersaijidi M. Koesoemo, member of the City Architectural Advising Team (TPAK), which is responsible for evaluating the feasibility of new buildings in the city, said the government will take tougher measures regarding fire safety.

"Now, a building must have a building permit. Next, before the new building is inaugurated, it should be equipped with a usage permit. Such a measure will ensure that every requirement for high-rise buildings be met," he told The Jakarta Post.

Touching on the 400 water hydrants in the city, which are considered by many as below par, he said in the near future, every high-rise building will be required to provide at least one water hydrant at their compound.

If the building managements abides by the government regulations on fire safety, they will benefit from it as well. "Their investment will be secured from the threat of fire," Noersaijidi said.

According to records at the city administration, loss from fires which have razed a number of buildings, markets and housing complexes in the city from 1988 to 1992 totaled over Rp 116.34 billion (US$55.4 million) or Rp 23.2 billion annually. (11)