350 Joint Personnel Deployed to Tackle Forest and Land Fires in Nabire
A total of 350 joint personnel from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the National Police (Polri) and the regional government have been deployed on a rotating daily basis to handle forest and land fires (karhutla) in two sectors of Nabire Regency, Central Papua.
Central Papua Deputy Police Chief Senior Commissioner Gustav R Urbinas said in Nabire on Tuesday (25/8) that the personnel comprised elements from the Central Papua Regional Police, the 173/PVB Military Resort Command, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the Fire Service, the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP) and the Health Office.
“Approximately 350 personnel who are part of the Central Papua Forest and Land Fire Task Force have been working every day on a rotating basis,” he said.
He said the handling of forest and land fires has been carried out since Thursday (20/8), through cross-sector synergy to accelerate the response to fires occurring in a number of areas in Nabire.
The personnel are divided into two main sectors, namely West Nabire and the Kimi area in the eastern part of Nabire. Personnel are focused on command posts at the West Nabire Police Station and the Central Papua Regional Police Mobile Brigade Unit.
In each sector, TNI-Polri personnel are working together with the BPBD, Fire Service and Satpol PP to monitor fire hotspots while carrying out extinguishing efforts.
The task force is also conducting integrated mobile patrols in urban areas to detect information regarding hotspots and potential new fires.
“We continue to carry out mobile patrols and extinguishing efforts at points where fires occur. This provincial task force is assisting and providing reinforcement to the regency,” he said.
Operational support has also been strengthened with a number of facilities and infrastructure, including personnel transport vehicles from the TNI and Polri, ambulances from the Health Office, the Regional Police and the TNI, as well as five fire engines.
Three fire engines are from the Central Papua Provincial Government, while two other units are supported by the airport for handling areas around Douw Aturure Airport in Nabire.
Prevention efforts are also being carried out through public awareness campaigns. The Traffic Unit and Community Guidance Unit of the Polri have been involved to provide pre-emptive appeals regarding fire prevention.
“Then preventive activities with monitoring and patrols to detect hotspots or potential fires in the two large sectors,” he said.
He said the handling pattern will continue to be refined so that the Central Papua Provincial Forest and Land Fire Task Force can be better organised and have a more effective operational pattern in the field.