Jakarta, March 2023 – In collaboration with the Department of Fire and Rescue Service, Pasar Minggu’s sector of South Jakarta, ASTON Priority Simatupang Hotel & Conference Center held an earthquake and fire disaster mitigation simulation. This simulation activity was carried out as preparedness for all staff and hotel management in facing potential hazards from disasters.

ASTON Priority Simatupang Hotel & Conference Center also has an Emergency Response Team (ERT) which was assigned to respond to emergencies earlier within the hotel environment to avoid casualties or greater material losses, and carry out their respective functions in a systematic, safe, and effective way.

The mitigation scenario started with an earthquake disaster simulation. Front Office staff in charge of the paging system announced the occurrence of an earthquake. Staff personnel assigned as the Chief Warden instructed the entire ERT team to immediately evacuate all hotel staff and guests via the nearest emergency stairs to the Assembly Point, protecting their heads with a hard object or using both hands when exiting the building.

While at the Assembly Point, the ERT officer collected data on all hotel staff and guests to ensure no one was left behind in the building. After receiving information from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency that the situation was declared safe, all hotel staff and guests could continue their activities and return to the hotel.

The second mitigation scenario was a fire disaster simulation with two victims. This simulation started with the discovery of an active fire alarm in zone four of the sixth floor. Security officers who were in charge in the Crisis Management Center (CMC) room responded by reading the source of the alarm zone and floor listed on the alarm panel or Master Control Fire Alarm (MCFA), which is a detection system capable of responding and controlling detectors in fire alarms. After reading the location point, the security officer requested the security leader and the engineering team to check the source of the alarm. When a fire was discovered in room 606, the security leader and the engineering team immediately informed the Chief Warden and extinguished it with an APAR. The firefighter team immediately headed to the location of the fire using anti-fire suits, knowing if the fire got bigger, the next step was to extinguish it with a hydrant. The floor warden vacated the floor where the fire occurred, two floors above and one floor below, and ensured no hotel staff or guests were left in the room. The fire was getting bigger and out of control, so the Chief Warden instructed the entire ERT team to carry out a total evacuation of all hotel staff and guests by exiting via the nearest emergency staircase to the Assembly Point. The front office staff immediately contacted the Department of Fire and Rescue, the ambulance, and the police.

The extinguishing process was still being carried out while waiting for the Department of Fire and Rescue officers to arrive. The floor warden team also carried out sweeps in all bedrooms and other rooms to ensure that all hotel staff and guests had left. When they found two victims in the sweeping area, the floor warden team immediately coordinated with the Rescue team and the First Aid team to evacuate them using stretchers to the Assembly Point to get first aid, while the victims with serious injuries were taken directly to the hospital by ambulance.

At the assembly point, the ERT officer collected data on all hotel staff and guests to ensure that no one was left behind in the building. The Department of Fire and Rescue officers arrived at the hotel with a pump truck, turntable tender & snorkel, command car, and ambulance. The command was then taken over by The Department of Fire and Rescue officers. When the situation was under control, the Chief Warden announced at the Assembly Point that all hotel staff and guests could return to their activities.

Before the event, hotel staff were also taught by The Department of Fire and Rescue officers about the process when a disaster occurs, introducing each tool used in extinguishing fires and practicing using a fire extinguisher and wet gunny sacks.

"We carry out disaster mitigation simulations for both earthquakes and fires as a preventive measure as well as training for all hotel staff, and also to retest our equipment and systems. We also regularly hold these activities, one of which was on March 20th, 2023" commented Andi Gevika Rizki, General Manager of ASTON Priority Simatupang Hotel & Conference Center.