Martinnius Reja Panjaitan, a 31-year-old firefighter from the Cimanggis fire station in Depok, struggled to breathe after battling the flames for an hour and a half alongside 39 colleagues and 10 fire trucks.

He left in a volunteer ambulance, accompanied by a fellow firefighter, according to kompas.id.

Martinnius removed his personal protective equipment to be able to breathe more easily, while his colleague searched for a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) mask, which would provide clean air amid the toxic smoke.

However, that night, no one had a respirator and the volunteer ambulance did not have an oxygen tank either. Martinnius was rushed to Sentra Medika Hospital, the closest health facility to the scene of the fire, but was later pronounced dead.

“The applause and gratitude from the community made us happy. But Martin’s death is heartbreaking,” Yohan Yakub, Martinnius’ team leader, said Monday, as quoted by kompas.id.

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Head of the Rescue Section of the Depok Fire and Rescue Agency, Tessy Haryanti, said: kompas.com On Saturday, Martinnius did not wear a mask while on duty because the fire scene was not an enclosed space.

“The fire site was 80 percent open air, so there was opportunity for adequate air circulation,” she said.

“Masks are used in confined spaces.”

Tessy did not reveal the cause of Martinnius’ death, relying on the medical team.

Sandi Butar Butar, a firefighter at the same fire station as Martinnius, said Monday that two SCBAs at the fire station were not functional despite being crucial to fighting fires.

Sandi said the absence of an ARI was not the only violation of standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Another regularly overlooked SOP is the provision of an ambulance at every fire location.

Sandi said the Depok Fire and Rescue Agency had two ambulances, which were on standby and needed to be deployed to a fire scene.

“However, during the fire (Friday), there was only one volunteer ambulance,” he said.

He hopes the government can provide adequate equipment and improve safety measures for firefighters.

Sandi has repeatedly voiced firefighters’ concerns about inadequate equipment through social media posts that have gone viral. He made videos of damaged equipment, such as water pipes and nozzles, inflatable boats, chainsaws and personal protective equipment.

“Equipment breakdown is no longer an exception but is a reality on the ground. They repaired the equipment at Cimanggis fire station but not at other fire stations,” he said.

In September, Sandi, accompanied by his lawyer Deolipa Yumara, reported allegations of corruption involving the Depok Fire and Rescue Agency to the Depok Prosecutor’s Office.

Sandi and 80 of his colleagues discovered that the Depok city administration allocates an annual budget for the repair and purchase of firefighting equipment, but many items remain broken and have not been replaced for years. years.

Sandi is scheduled to testify Wednesday regarding corruption allegations before the Special Crimes Section of the prosecutor’s office.

He confirmed his intention to comply with the summons.

“For my deceased friend, I have to fight for this case,” Sandi said Monday, as quoted by kompas.com. (jan)