This Is An Important Role For APARs In Vehicles: Small Investment, Great Benefits

Simulation of blackout of electric motor fires with EV-only APAR, Lith-Pro. (Photo: Bagus Muhammad Hafizh/VOI)

JAKARTA Having a vehicle is not only a matter of comfort, but also readiness to face various risks, including fires. Therefore, every vehicle owner should provide a light fire extinguisher (APAR) as a preventive measure.

Apart from equipment, mental readiness in dealing with emergency situations, such as fires, is also very important. Then, what should vehicle owners do so as not to panic when facing this precarious condition?

President Director of PT Indolok Bakti Utama, Rahmat Rezki, gave several important tips. According to him, the first thing to do is find a source of fire.

"Fires usually occur on the hood of the engine or cable. The first step is to open the hood of the machine and check where the fire came from, then put it out immediately," said Rahmat during a question and answer session with the media in Cikarang, West Java, Wednesday, October 2.

Rahmat added, it is important for manufacturers to design APARs that are efficient and easy to use by anyone, even in panic conditions.

"Not everyone has the courage or calm when facing fires. Many panic first. Therefore, we continue to try to design simple and user-friendly APARs," said Rahmat.

He also highlighted the low awareness of some vehicle owners of the importance of APAR, which is often considered expensive goods or unnecessary additional costs. However, Rahmat emphasized that investment in APAR is much smaller than the potential loss.

"Imagine, cars cost hundreds of millions but we are reluctant to spend 1-2 million for APAR. In fact, this tool can save our lives," he said.

Rahmat also warned that with technological developments, fire risk is increasing, especially with the presence of electric vehicles (EVs) that use lithium batteries, which require special types of firefighters.

"The risk of the fire is not decreasing, it is increasing. In the past, maybe the problem was only with a short circuit in the cable, now there is a lithium battery in the electric vehicle," concluded Rahmat.