More inspections of nightclub buildings ahead of New Year’s Eve

The City Building Supervision Agency (P2B) and the Culture and Tourism Agency will continue conducting inspections of fire safety standards in nightclubs in the city ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Head of the P2B agency Hari Sasongko said the inspections aimed to remind the nightclubs’ management of the importance of meeting fire safety standards.

“The important things to examine are fire extinguishers, the electrical system and access to exit doors,” he said, adding that buildings with poor electrical systems were prone to fire.

He said the agency was still considering the possibility of having an inspection authority to cover the building interiors, as people could smoke in nightclubs.

Hari said the agency would distribute warning letters to some 1,300 managements of entertainment venues, including Karaoke bars and nightclubs, to remind them to check their safety standards.

“At the least they have to provide a clear sign on the exit doors that is illuminated so shows up in the dark,” he said.

Regular inspections were carried out following a recent nightclub inferno that claimed 20 lives in Medan, North Sumatra.

Earlier this week, the Jakarta administration closed down two nightclubs in West Jakarta for failing to meet fire safety standards.

The Ratu Ayu discotheque on Jl. Hayam Wuruk and Sahara discotheque on Jl. Pangeran Jayakarta were sealed by officers.

The officers did not find any fire alarms or fire extinguishers at the four-story Ratu Ayu and four-story Sahara, and the latter did not even have any emergency exits.