fireman:life and sacrifice

8/10/2019 Fireman:life and sacrifice

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Its Not Only about Taming the Flame but also Sincerity and Sacrifice

What do people have in mind when someone asks them what the bravest profession in this

world is? Police? Yeah, it can be. Pilot? It makes sense. Army? Hhm, its not wrong.

Nevertheless, those professions above are so popular in their society; so, most of people

may predict with those words. Think again! There is a job which is risky and which most of

people dont want to be. A firefighter, dont they think about this profession? Well,

sometime people do not realize it since this profession is rarely exposed by media. They do

not want to know his real life. How difficult is he stopping the fire? Is he paid comparable

with the risk? Although this profession is forgettable by surrounding, there is a tough

firefighter who loves his job very much and always helps many people needing his help

immediately.

He is Ngatman or usually called Lik Ngatmanwho was born on March 19th, 1962 in BoyolaliHe

is one of firemen of Fire Department in Boyolali and he is a husband of the woman named

Sri Suwarni and a father of two daughters named Intan Anna Lusyawati and Dwi Arum

Fatmawati. When his age is no longer young, he still immediately goes down to location and

leads his team to tame the flame. He has been a fireman for twenty nine years at his age is

24 years old. Initially, he never has thought to become a firefighter. When he was a child, he

wanted to be a teacher but the fate goes into another way. He failed to pass the

administration test and he gave up for being a teacher. After graduating in senior high

school, he went to Jakarta and did anything to make money. A year passed and it did not

make any changes for his life, he decided to go back to his hometown and applied for being

honorary workers. Then, he passed it. He placed on the Department of Public Work (DPU)

Boyolali at the Fire Department (PMK). Yeah, it was the beginning how he became a

fireman.

Being a fireman is not an easy job.

In extinguishing the fire, it cannot directly pour the water but he must know the cause of

the flame and the direction where the wind blows since the fire always moves depending on

the wind. It will be really dangerous if he sprays the water against the wind, it will make the

fire bigger and spread into his body. The difficulties are not only coming from the execution

to stop the fire but also from the society. Sometime they get angry to him because they


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think he comes too late. Even there are some reasons behind his lateness; they do not want

to understand. Sometime people are late to call the firefighter. He said that they wont to

call him because they think they can extinguish the fire by themselves and they are afraid to

pay for it. However, it does not take any charges and he is not allowed to accept a tip while

he works on the field. Whereas he must arrive to the location as quickly as possible,

sometimes the other vehicles on the way to location do not let the fire truck pass even they

hear sound of fire truck siren behind them or coming toward them. The distance between

camp and location may make him to come late. The response time he can reach if the

location is maximum 5 kilometers from the camp. So, if it is above 5 kilometers, it can be

considered as the delay.

Then, he said that the wages is not comparable with the risk he must bear. While he was an

honorary staff, he only got IDR 10000 a month for his salary. Sometimes he did not get his

salary. Yeah, it is so heartbreaking looking at that condition, right? When you are working

with put your life in risky, it gets nothing. He said that many friends of him quit for being

fireman because of that reason. He still withstand in this field because he is happy to help

another and he likes challenging things. It needs a long time to be a civil servant. He took six

year to get that position.

Being fireman for decades, he has handled many fires and the unforgettable experienced

that always in his mind when he stops the fire at lumber mill named PT Indah Jati in Solo. It

needed two days to make the fire off. Since there were many woods there that made the

fire bigger and bigger, then it was hard to tame it. Nonetheless, his team has a slogan

Pantang Pulang Sebelum Padam. Even it takes all their time, they will not turn back until

the fire is out.

Although he has his own schedule for working, whenever the camp needs help, he must be

ready anytime whatever he does and wherever he is. One day in fasting month there was an

incident when he had sahur with his family, he got a call from the camp that there was a fire

while he just wanted to take his rice. So, at the time, he did not eat his food yet and he had

to leave immediately. Sometimes he puts his family in the second priority. In Idul Fitri, he

has to work instead of spending the time with family even he misses whatever event that

his family has planned.


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Call prank, it also happens sometimes. It happened a long time ago. He got many calls, and

all of them were false alarm. He got angry and he placed the handle phone inappropriately.

So, it made the phone busy. Then, after a minute, someone came to the fire department

madly because he could not call them to tell that there was a fire in his neighborhood. So, it

makes him to be more careful every time the phone rings. He has to check first whether

they say the right thing or a joke.

Now, you know that this profession is not only about extinguishing the fire but it involves

many things such as sincerity, patient and sacrifice. He takes all his time for helping and

prioritizing others. Making their family feels neglected. For the last but not least, he hopes

that the government gives more attention to the firefighters by providing more complete

and modern tools for them. Especially, adding more fire department at least 3-4 for each

region to prevent the lateness of stopping the fire since the regency only has one fire

department nowadays.

(Source: Ngatman)

NUR AMALINA MASTURAH

K2212058/B2

fireman:life and sacrifice

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