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)