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Against all odds, firefighters save lives
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Firefighters try to extinguish a fire that has gutted Senen market in Central Jakarta on Jan. 19. (JP/Seto Wardhana.)
M
ore than a dozen firefighters stationed at the Central Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency were enjoying their down-time after returning from their third callout that afternoon. Others were relaxing in a dimly lit, air conditioned cabin at the front corner of the station.
One of the firefighters, Setiawan, 37, said he chose his career back in 2004 when the agency recruited 1,000 new firefighters.
“When I was a child, I did not want to be a firefighter,” he said, adding that like many of his peers, he wanted to be in the police or the armed forces instead.
“People definitely respect the police and armed forces more than they respect us,” Dita Wiratna, another firefighter, chimed in.
“But [the job] slowly grew on us. We learned that once we receive the call, we have to put our lives on the line until the fire is put out,” he quickly added.
Read also: Burned down Senen Market to be revitalized, integrated with apartments
Firefighters have 10 days out of one month when they have to be on call for 24 hours, and five days when they have to work from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. as a backup.
