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Wanted: 3,000 new firefighters
The city fire and disaster control agency will face a shortage of firefighters by 2010, with some 800 officials from the agency set to retire next year
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The city fire and disaster control agency will face a shortage of firefighters by 2010, with some 800 officials from the agency set to retire next year.
Agency head Paimin Napitupulu said his office needed around 3,000 new firefighters to join his current team.
"This agency should have 6,000 to 7,000 firefighters, considering the high incidence of fires in the capital," Paimin said Tuesday.
"We now have only 3,200."
He added his office had lobbied the city administration for more officers.
"I hope the firefighters on contract will be promoted to temporary civil servants to cover the lack of officers," he said.
From January to May 19, there were 253 fires, according to the agency. West Jakarta topped the list with 61 cases, followed by South Jakarta with 59 and East Jakarta with 52.
The Central Jakarta fire subagency reported 45 cases, while North Jakarta had 36.
Short circuits remain the top cause of fires in the city, followed by exploding stoves and unattended burning cigarettes.
The agency reported 55 subdistricts in the city were prone to fires, mostly in West Jakarta and East Jakarta.
The highest-risk areas in Jakarta are dense residential areas, since there is no space between houses.
Data from the fire agency shows 70 percent of the fires that occurred this year took place in residential areas, while 30 percent were in high-rise buildings.
Meanwhile, the agency is expected to be granted the authority to seal off buildings falling short of fire safety standards.
"There will be a gubernatorial decree on the issue. It is now still being processed. We proposed it to the city legal bureau," Paimin said.
"In the decree, we will be given the authority to inspect all buildings in the capital, as well as enforce the law if they violate the ruling."
He added the new powers would not see the fire agency in conflict with other city agencies, including the city building monitoring and control agency (P2B).
"The P2B has the full authority to seal off a building for building permit violations, while we might close the building if it does not meet fire safety standards," Paimin said.
He also said the agency had asked an expert from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) to help draft the decree.
He said he hoped the new regulation would help reduce the number of fires in Jakarta.
"A high-rise building aged more than 25 years is prone to fire. Especially if it is not well maintained," said Paimin.
Many building managements, especially for high-rises, have failed to comply with the city's fire safety standards.
Some experts say the building managements often neglect procedures to prevent fires, while the use of buildings for various commercial activities also raises the risk of fire.
They point out that even though building structures are built to safely stand for 30 years or more, the structure should be checked every 10 years and the electrical wiring checked every five years, or every eight years at the latest.
