As most fires occur in homes, Jakartans, including those who have lost it all to flames, are learning how to prevent or at least mitigate the impact themselves.

A series of fire prevention and impact mitigation workshops have been intensified in the past two years to provide residents with the necessary fire extinguishing skills and knowledge.

The workshops were held simultaneously in Central, East, West and North Jakarta, on Wednesday.

In East Jakarta, for instance, a workshop was held in Kampung Melayu subdistrict, Jatinegara district. Around 40 residents took part in the program, which included a brief introduction and series of simulations on fire prevention and fire extinguishing techniques.

Siti Maryam, a training participant whose house was gutted in a fire in 2015, said the program — particularly the hands-on simulations — taught her invaluable lessons that she could put into practice to reduce damage should she face another fire.

“I was left traumatized by a fire in my parent’s home three years ago. I participated in the program to overcome my fears,” she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The incident, Maryam added, was caused by an exposed cable from a nearby electricity pole that caught fire.

Over the course of the hands-on simulations, East Jakarta Fire Prevention Agency personnel guided participants as they attempted to prevent gas canister leaks and extinguish stovetop fires.

“The main goal of the hands-on program is to give people the opportunity to face their fear of fire,” said Ahmad Faisal, one of the trainers.

Fire prevention chief at the East Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency, Edi Parwoko, said agency personnel had been assigned to carry out regular patrols in community units (RWs) in every district of East Jakarta to assess whether an area needed to be provided with fire prevention and mitigation training.

“Sometimes it’s the RW heads themselves who request such a workshop in their area,” he told the Post.

Most residents still lack knowledge on fire prevention in everyday scenarios, according to Edi. For instance, many people charge their cell phones at unstandardized power outlets where the chargers could overheat.

“Other examples include failure to check cables that power home appliances such as air conditioning units, refrigerators and microwave ovens,” Edi said, adding that connecting to cables regardless of their own electrical capacity would most likely result in a fire.

According to data provided by the Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency, the frequency of fires in the capital city has increased over the past couple of years. In 2017 alone, the frequency increased to 1,471 cases from 1,171 in 2016. This year’s figure indicated another potential increase as 806 cases were recorded from January to July.

Of all fires in Jakarta this year, 533 cases were caused by electricity and 80 cases by gas.

Despite the upward trend of fires in Jakarta, the latest report indicates a reduction both in casualties and losses. From January to July, 14 people reportedly died in fires as opposed to 39 dead victims recorded in the same period in 2017.

Approximately Rp 110 million (US$7,630) in losses was recorded between January and July, a smaller sum than the Rp 290 million recorded in the same period last year.

Supriyono attributed the fact to increased awareness of fire prevention and mitigation among residents. “We are actively trying to provide training programs in more areas to reduce losses.” (rfa)

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