Irawaty Wardany, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 04/13/2010 9:39 AM
Amid a recent string of earthquakes pounding several cities, some high-rise managements have taken precautionary efforts to introduce safety-and-rescue procedures for tenants.
Diar Kuntojati, technical support officer of building management company PT Yacolt Graha, said that the guideline for safety procedures was not as clear as fire safety standards.
“Unlike [fire safety standards], there is no safety measure implemented for earthquakes,” said Diar whose company manages Permata Bank Tower I in Central Jakarta.
“We create our own [safety procedure] by adopting practices common in Japan.”
The fire safety standard has been regulated in the 2000 Public Works Ministerial Decree on Technical Guidance for Fire Safety on Buildings and is further implemented in the Technical Guidance for Emergency Action Plan on Buildings, issued in 2002 by the Directorate General of Housing and Settlement with the Public Works Ministry.
The regulations require building management to carry out regular fire drills and establish teams to anticipate situations in the event of fire.
Diar said his company decided to adopt quake precautionary practice from Japan since the country was more experienced in dealing with the disaster.
“So far, we are familiarizing ourselves with the procedure tenants need to undertake when a jolt strikes,” he said.
“We’ve prepared areas [outside the building] where tenants can protect themselves during a quake. Each floor is designated a different area to keep better track of tenants.”
He also added the meeting points are located around 20-30 meters behind the 24-story building.
Operational manager of PT Budiman Sejahtera Development, S. Dodi Indraswanto, said his company had built assembly points for tenants in the 25-story ANZ Tower on Jl. Jend. Sudirman.
“The location, usually a parking space, is only 300 meters from the main tower,” Dodi said.
The company marks the locations with red-painted letters. He said that his company also provided a guidance book on emergency precautions for tenants besides conducting regular drills every year.
The book contains many measures for emergency incidences including fires, bomb threats and earthquakes.
Meanwhile, an officer at the information division with the city’s Building Supervisory Agency, Vivi, confirmed that her agency did not control every building’s disaster management.
However, Vivi, who declined to be identified by her full name, said that the 2000 gubernatorial decree on building permits requires all buildings meet certain building standards.
The building management must submit reports to the agency on the proper use of the building.
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