Senen Inpres market lacks basic fire equipment

Senen Inpres market lacks basic fire equipment

JAKARTA (JP): If a fire broke out at the Central Jakarta
Inpres market in Senen, the thousands of merchants from the 2,204
kiosks would have to depend on a handful of security guards with
access to 20 fire extinguishers to save them.

There are no fire hydrants anywhere in the crowded two-story
market that covers 15,000-square-meters. Hydrants would be of no
use anyway because intake pipes have yet to be installed in the
market which was built in 1977.

"Firefighters would have to pull water from the Sunter lake or
the nearby river," said Gendro Sulistiyo, who is in charge of
Block III of the market.

The Sunter lake is located more than five kilometers northeast
of the market. It would take hours for firefighters to break
through traffic to get to the lake.

The Instruksi Presiden (Inpres) markets were built with funds
from the presidential office and are aimed at accommodating
street traders who cannot afford expensive market rents. Gendro
said it is difficult for the city's 56 Inpres markets to get more
thorough safety equipment.

According to a 1992 city rule on fire prevention and
management, every market must have a manual alarm for every 185
square meters on the ground floor, and automatic alarms on the
upper floors.

One fire hydrant should be available for every 200 meters and
corridors should be at least 1.2-meters wide, the regulation
stipulates.

The Senen market has been hit by four fires since 1977. The
traders say they rely on colleagues in neighboring blocks to
alert the fire brigade in case of a fire, and on the market's
side-alleys to escape.

The alleys are just wide enough to run through, but would soon
be clogged by panicky traders trying to save their merchandise
from a fire.

The nearby Block VI market has 2,000 kiosks manned by more
than double that number of traders. The few fire extinguishers
are stowed in the security office.

The four-story market block, managed by city-owned PD Pasar
Jaya, has fire hydrants on every floor. None of them work.

"We cannot leave anything downstairs. We have lost equipment,
including hoses," said Supriyono, a maintenance officer, echoing
the excuse given by an Inpres market official.

Supriyono claims that each afternoon traders are reminded to
switch off their electricity.

Despite a 1991 fire which destroyed 29 kiosks, the fire alarm
system is basic -- six security guards and 15 groups of 30
homeless men who keep a 24-hour watch. And the only time security
guards at the city's 163 markets practice fire drills is during
basic training, admitted Lihardin Sipayung, the PD Pasar Jaya
spokesman.

Lihardin said that the one-story markets built in the 1970s
lack fire safety equipment. Tenants are expected to buy their own
extinguishers. Markets built later have smoke detectors, but lack
signs pointing to fire exits, he said.

The head of Block VI, Gerda Rosalina Marbun, is in charge of
reminding tenants to keep the market safe.

She says she recently sent a letter to the Ramayana department
store management asking them to open access between Block III and
Block IV.

Ramayana stepped up safety measures after 10 of its employees
burned to death in Bogor. The company has installed several fire
extinguishers on each floor and has cleared formerly blocked fire
escapes.

The Senen market maintenance officer, however, pointed out
that many of the stores' rolling doors block hallways,
effectively cutting the store off from the rest of the market,
and risking a tragedy like Bogor.

Insurance

Most Inpres markets, like Pos Pengumben in West Jakarta, are
basic one-story structures with open-ended corridors. Although
fire extinguishers are also stowed in the security office, the
Pos Pengumben market has 10 fire extinguishers for its 100
kiosks. Senen has 20 extinguishers for more than 2,000 kiosks.

The city market company has insured a number of its new
markets, but fire insurance is unpopular among traders. Herman
Manurung, a Senen merchant, said she canceled her policy because
the premiums kept increasing. Suyono, a gold trader at Pos
Pengumben, said she also stopped because sales weren't good
enough for her to afford insurance.

Nono Taryono, the chief of the Cipulir wholesale market, said
the management does not recommend that traders take out
insurance.

"The source of many fires is frequently a kiosk owner who is
going bankrupt," Nono reasoned.

Arson, he said, is suspected to be the main cause of loss to
uninsured traders. (anr/yns)