Firefighter Martinnius Reja Panjaitan, 31, lost his life after he struggled to breathe while battling fire at Cisalak Market in the city. His colleague could not find an air respirator in any of the fire trucks, while an ambulance taking him to the hospital also fell short of oxygen tanks. Doctors pronounced the brave man dead at the hospital.

While we send thoughts and prayers to the late Martinnius and his family, we also believe that the Depok fire agency and policymakers should be held accountable for the loss of life. The budget allocated by a city or regency administration for fire brigade is already relatively small, and it often faces further cuts along the way, or even embezzlement involving corrupt officials.

The Depok fire agency, in particular, has been mired by alleged corrupt practices. Dozens of firefighters recently reported high-ranking officials of the agency to the police for alleged graft, after finding that many equipment remained broken for years without any plan for replacement.

The recent equipment crisis happened in spite of the fact that the city government allocated an annual budget for tool repair and purchase. For 2024 alone, Depok earmarked Rp 1 billion (US$64,116) specifically for equipment maintenance.

The graft allegation was not the first to hit the city’s fire agency. In 2022, an agency treasurer was found guilty of stealing the fire agency’s money allocated for contract workers’ insurance.

The corrupt practices plaguing the fire agency are not limited to Depok. Many other cities and regencies in the country have seen rampant corruption within their fire agencies.

Depok’s fire agency is among the institutions to receive the smallest portion of the city budget with only Rp 34 billion for a whole year. In contrast, the fire agency in Jakarta may receive more than Rp 1 trillion.

Ironically, firefighters’ small budgets are often the first to face a cut by mid-year, even in big cities like Jakarta. The Jakarta Fire Agency’s budget was cut by Rp 13 billion in August. Yet the city councilors continue to ask the firefighters to respond to reports more quickly, as in the recent fire that gutted dozens of houses in the densely-populated Tambora area in West Jakarta.

This is like heaven and earth as compared with their fellow first responders of the police. The National Police’s budget for 2025 has been set at Rp 126 trillion, up from Rp 99 trillion this year.

The police budget dwarfs the budget for over 500 fire agencies across the country combined. In Depok, the fire agency will receive Rp 34 billion this year.

The lack of financial support, compounded by the bureaucratic mess, has put more pressure on firefighters who have to be ready to face hardship on and off duty. Many of the firefighters live in dilapidated boarding houses, which is ironic considering their responsibilities. Naturally, they work under great pressure to arrive at a fire scene as soon as possible, or it will be too late.

Martinnius’ death should serve as a warning for all policymakers in Indonesia. One lost firefighter is too many, especially as we face higher risk of fire due to an increasing population, more crowded residential areas in cities as well as a hotter and drier climate from global boiling.

It is time to give our firefighters what they deserve: A proper paycheck, proper equipment and a supportive working environment to protect them from any harm in the line of duty.

Because, if not the firefighters, who are you going to call when you have your house burned, your kitten stuck in a water jug, find a wasp nest in your backyard or get your hand stuck in a swimming pool drain?