Legislator: No More Forest and Land Firefighters Should Perish
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chairman of Commission IV of the House of Representatives Alex Indra Lukman has called for no more forest and land fire (karhutla) firefighters to perish while on duty, stressing that they must be equipped with adequate safety gear given the high-risk nature of the work.
“Life is very precious, therefore safety equipment is very important to be available and used completely while on duty,” Alex said in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He also requested that in the future, no land firefighters or Manggala Agni personnel carry out duties with minimal safety standards.
This call was made in response to the death of a member of Squad 4 Manggala Agni Daops Siak, Muharmizan (44), after carrying out firefighting duties in Palkun Village, Bengkalis Subdistrict, Bengkalis Regency, Riau Province, on Monday (30/3).
In addition, a similar incident befell First Inspector Donald Junus Halomoan, an officer from the Riau Provincial Police Mobile Brigade, who died on 4 August 2025.
“The late (Ipda Donald) fell while on duty handling karhutla in Simpang Kanan Subdistrict, Rokan Hilir Regency,” Alex stated.
In light of these incidents, Alex reminded the Ministry of Forestry ranks to ensure that no more firefighters or personnel from other institutions perish while extinguishing karhutla.
“Representing the leadership and members of Commission IV of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, we convey our deep condolences over the passing of one member of Squad 4 Manggala Agni Daops Siak on Monday (30/3),” Alex revealed.
According to him, 956 Manggala Agni personnel under the Forest Fire Control Centre (Dalkarhut) of Sumatra, which oversees 10 provinces on the island of Sumatra, receive health insurance and occupational safety protection.
He considered this health and occupational safety insurance protection important as evidence of the state’s presence in protecting the family members of personnel carrying out state duties.
Alex also reminded of the importance of regular health checks for every Manggala Agni personnel tasked with extinguishing karhutla.
Through periodic examinations, he said, the safety of personnel would be better safeguarded, thus not triggering work accidents.
Meanwhile, the Head of Emergency Division of the Riau Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) and Fire Department Jim Gafur, on Tuesday (31/3), revealed regarding karhutla in Riau, 21 fire spots were detected scattered across several regencies and cities in Riau.
Three locations were reported to still have fire spots with fairly thick smoke, so the extinguishing process continues.
In Dumai City, out of five monitored fire spots, most have been extinguished. Two spots in Mundam Ward, Medang Kampai Subdistrict, and one spot in Bagan Besar Timur Ward, Bukit Kapur Subdistrict, were reported fully extinguished.
Meanwhile, one spot in Tanjung Palas Ward still has thin smoke remaining and is in the cooling phase.
In Indragiri Hulu, two fire spots were detected in Sekip Hilir Village and Redang Village. One spot has been fully extinguished, while the other is still in the cooling process due to remaining thin smoke.
A similar situation occurred in Indragiri Hilir Regency, with three fire spots in Pasir Mas Village, Teluk Nibung Village, and Bekawan Village. All three still emit thin smoke and are currently in the cooling phase by field officers.
Bengkalis became the area with the most fire spots, namely eight. Several locations, including Sukarjo Mesim Village, Pergam Village, Teluk Lecah Village, to Titi Akar Village, were reported to still have active fire accompanied by thick smoke.
Extinguishing efforts are being carried out intensively, including blockades using heavy equipment to prevent the fire from spreading.