Severe traffic congestion in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, often stalls fire trucks that need to rush to the scene of a fire.
"As soon as we receive news of a fire, we’ll immediately go to the scene,” Karni from the Tanah Abang Fire Station told kompas.com on Tuesday. “But we’ll get stuck in the traffic and we never know when we can finally move forward.”
The fire station is located at the center of Tanah Abang, next to Blok F of Tanah Abang Market.
For example, it can take up to one hour to get to Jl. Jatibaru Raya, which is less than 1 kilometer away from the station, Karni said.
Ideally, firefighters from the nearest station should arrive at a fire within eight minutes after receiving the news, he explained.
"Even on holidays like Sunday, the road is still crowded,” Karni said. “It takes half an hour on average for us to get to a fire.”
The firefighters from Tanah Abang Fire Station often receive help from Pak ogah (voluntary parking attendants), who stop vehicles at U-turns to make way for the fire truck. (stu)
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