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Volunteer Cyclists to Assist in Disasters
Dofa Fasila | January 21, 2012

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Forget the fire brigade. If you need help in the event of a disaster and traffic is heavy, there’s now a bicycle brigade on hand for a rapid response.

The Indonesian Cycling Committee (KSI) unveiled its volunteer brigade on Thursday, tasked with playing an active role in disaster mitigation and environmental management.

The group also received a gift of 10 orange bicycles from Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, who lauded the KSI for going above and beyond its initial purpose of encouraging cycling as an alternative form of transportation in the city.

“My hope is that bicycles will prove to be a more mobile means of transportation for disaster response and the other volunteer activities planned by the KSI,” he said. “I certainly hope that its presence will be beneficial to all.”

He said bicycles allowed the volunteers to access densely populated slum areas that were out of the reach of cars and would be able to offer help and distribute relief supplies in the event of flooding or fires.

Fauzi also said that the volunteers would not be hampered by heavy congestion on the city’s streets. Fire trucks and ambulances often take hours to reach their destination because of traffic snarls.

The governor said the first order of business for the brigade, which will initially serve South Jakarta, would be to prepare residents for the possibility of flooding and disease outbreaks during the current rainy season.

“We’re experiencing heavy rains right now, so I call on the brigade to stay alert for all the possibilities that entails, such as increases in cases of dengue fever and diarrhea, and to help in evacuation and relief distribution efforts in case of flooding,” he said.

Sahrul Effendi, the KSI chairman and also Fauzi’s deputy for tourism, said that with the introduction of the bicycle brigade, “there will be no disaster-hit location in South Jakarta that will be overlooked.”