On the afternoon of Saturday, 8 June 2024, a hotel in Alam Sutera, Serpong, South Tangerang, caught fire. Firefighters received the report of flames at 15.40 WIB and the fire was out at around 17.18 WIB. Six people were trapped in a lift while the fire was burning, and three of them, all hotel workers, were pronounced dead on the way to hospital. Firefighters suspected an electrical short circuit on the sixth floor as the source, with about 15 percent of the building burnt (Octavia, 2024). Two days later, police said the investigation with the national police forensic laboratory was still under way and that the cause and sequence of events could not yet be concluded (Syahrial, 2024).
Because no official report is available, we do not assess why the victims were in the lift or what happened inside it. We use the event to discuss a broader question: which vertical evacuation strategy suits a given building, and what does each one require?
Comparison Criteria
Ronchi and Nilsson (2013), reviewing research on evacuation from high-rise buildings, distinguish four main strategies, namely total evacuation, phased evacuation, defend in place and delayed evacuation, and discuss egress components such as stairs and evacuation lifts. We compare the strategies against four criteria: speed and crowding, dependence on building design, suitability for occupants with limited mobility, and the need for communication and drills.
In Indonesia, Minister of Manpower Decree No. KEP.186/MEN/1999 on fire response units in the workplace requires management to provide detection, alarm, extinguishing and evacuation facilities, control the spread of smoke, heat and gas, hold regular drills, and keep a fire emergency response plan where a workplace has more than 50 workers or a medium or high fire hazard (Article 2). Fire wardens are tasked, among other things, with directing the evacuation of people and goods (Article 7) (Departemen Tenaga Kerja, 1999).
Four Main Strategies
Total evacuation by stairs. All occupants leave at once for a place of safety. This is the most familiar strategy and does not rely on mechanical equipment, but in heavily occupied buildings it can produce high densities on the stairs (Ronchi & Nilsson, 2013).
Phased evacuation. Occupants on the fire floor and nearby floors go first, to reduce queuing and crowding on the escape routes. Good fire compartmentation is essential, and occupants asked to wait may feel uneasy staying in a threatened building (Ronchi & Nilsson, 2013).
Dedicated evacuation lifts. The old idea that lifts must never be used in an emergency has been giving way to the need for faster evacuation, particularly for people with disabilities. Evacuation lifts, however, need special design: smoke and heat can enter the shaft, a moving car can draw smoke in, and the lift needs emergency power, protection from water and an emergency communication system (Ronchi & Nilsson, 2013).
Defend in place. Occupants close the door of their room and wait for help. The same review notes that this strategy is considered appropriate for residential buildings such as hotels and apartments when the building is more than six storeys, compartmented, of non-combustible construction and fitted with alarms and voice communication. Without clear information for occupants, the strategy can fail (Ronchi & Nilsson, 2013).
Strengths and Weaknesses
From this comparison we see no strategy that wins for every building. Total evacuation is the simplest but depends on stair capacity. Phased evacuation and defend in place are more efficient but demand reliable compartments and communication that keeps running throughout the event. Evacuation lifts help occupants who struggle with stairs, but only when the lift is designed, powered and operated for that purpose.
For most Indonesian workplaces, an ordinary passenger lift is not an evacuation lift. In our view the biggest risk arises when no strategy has ever been set, leaving each worker to decide alone when the alarm sounds. The limits of the evidence also matter: the Ronchi and Nilsson review focuses on high-rise buildings abroad, while many Indonesian workplaces are medium-sized buildings managed differently.
Practical Steps
- Set an evacuation strategy for each building in the fire emergency response plan, including whether lifts may be used.
- Post signs prohibiting lift use during a fire where lifts are not evacuation lifts, and make sure fire wardens know how to check lifts and stairs.
- Prepare a specific plan for workers and guests with limited mobility, such as assigned helpers and protected waiting points.
- Practise the chosen strategy in regular drills, including a scenario in which part of the route is filled with smoke.
How Nusa Safety Helps
Nusa Safety helps building managers assess evacuation facilities, smoke control and emergency readiness through its Fire and Emergency Safety Audit (FESA). The Nusa Safety team also runs emergency preparedness and drill training and fire brigade training, with certified programmes delivered together with licensed PJK3 partners.
This article is general information and not legal or professional advice for any specific case.
References
- Departemen Tenaga Kerja. (1999). Keputusan Menteri Tenaga Kerja Nomor KEP.186/MEN/1999 tentang Unit Penanggulangan Kebakaran di Tempat Kerja [Minister of Manpower Decree No. KEP.186/MEN/1999 on fire response units in the workplace]. https://jdih.kemnaker.go.id/peraturan/detail/3122/keputusan-menteri-tenaga-kerja-nomor-186-tahun-1999
- Octavia, S. (2024, June 8). Kebakaran di Alam Sutera, 3 orang meninggal dunia saat evakuasi ke RS [Fire in Alam Sutera, 3 people die while being taken to hospital]. Kompas.com. https://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2024/06/08/20491761/kebakaran-di-alam-sutera-3-orang-meninggal-dunia-saat-evakuasi-ke-rs
- Ronchi, E., & Nilsson, D. (2013). Fire evacuation in high-rise buildings: A review of human behaviour and modelling research. Fire Science Reviews, 2, Article 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-0414-2-7
- Syahrial, R. (2024, June 10). Polisi selidiki penyebab kebakaran hotel di Alam Sutera [Police investigate the cause of the hotel fire in Alam Sutera]. Kompas.com. https://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2024/06/10/10500161/polisi-selidiki-penyebab-kebakaran-hotel-di-alam-sutera
