PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The number of fire incidents in Bandung City has decreased throughout 2024. Based on data from the Bandung City Fire and Disaster Management Service (Diskar PB), there were 350 fire cases recorded throughout this year, a decrease compared to 2023 which reached 352 cases.

Head of Prevention at the Bandung City Fire and Disaster Management Service (Diskar PB), Kurniawan Yusuf, said that the main cause of fires is still dominated by injustice in the community in the use of electricity and gas.

"Most of the fires occurred in organizational areas. The main factor is the unsafe use of gas and electricity," said Kurniawan at Bandung City Hall (8/1/2024).

Even though the number of fires has decreased, Diskar PB still encounters obstacles in handling incidents.

One of them is that information is received too late so that officers often arrive at the location when the fire has already grown large.

"This certainly complicates the extinguishing process. Therefore, we continue to provide education and socialization so that the public is more concerned about fire prevention," he said.

As an effort to increase public awareness and preparedness, Diskar PB has formed fire volunteers in 55 sub-districts.

These volunteers are trained to provide education and carry out initial fire handling.

In addition, by 2024, Diskar PB has installed more than 300 portable pump installations in various regions to support residents' rapid response to fires.

"The installation of this portable pump has proven to be very helpful. The community can send fires faster before they spread. In the future, we will continue to foster more sub-districts and expand the formation of volunteers," he said.

Kurniawan said that Diskar PB remains committed to continuing to reduce the number of fires in the city of Bandung through an educational approach, the formation of volunteers, and improving firefighting infrastructure.

He emphasized that the role of the community in maintaining the safety of gas and electricity use remains the main key.

"With the cooperation of all parties, we are optimistic that the number of fires in Bandung City can continue to decline," he concluded. (Bandung City Communication and Information Service/Fauziah)