MP Demands Investigation into Death of Forest Firefighter in Riau, Highlights Safety Standards
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives has requested a comprehensive investigation into the case of the death of a forest and land firefighter (karhutla) in Riau.
Deputy Chairman of Commission IV of the House of Representatives, Alex Indra Lukman, has highlighted the safety standards and equipment provided to field personnel.
“The cause of the death of this Manggala Agni personnel must be investigated thoroughly to ensure such incidents do not recur in the future,” said Alex in his statement on Wednesday (1/4/2026).
Alex reminded that forest and land firefighting work is high-risk, and thus must be accompanied by safety and protection guarantees, including insurance.
“Life is very precious. Therefore, safety equipment is crucial and must be fully available and used during duty. Do not let incidents occur where the Manggala Agni team operates with minimal safety standards,” he said.
Alex also urged the provision of risk protection guarantees for the 956 Manggala Agni personnel under the Forest Fire Control Centre (Dalkarhut) of Sumatra, which covers 10 provinces on the island of Sumatra.
“This health and occupational safety insurance protection is important as evidence of the state’s presence in protecting the family members of personnel who bear the burden of state duties,” he explained.
“With regular health examinations, the safety of personnel deployed to extinguish raging fires is better maintained, thus preventing work accidents,” he concluded.
Previously reported, a member of Manggala Agni Daops Sumatra VII/Siak, Riau, named Muharmizan, died after carrying out firefighting duties in Bengkalis Regency.
Head of Manggala Agni Siak, Ihsan Abdillah, confirmed the news.
“It is true, one of our members named Muharmizan has passed away,” said Ihsan when confirmed on Tuesday (31/3/2026).
Ihsan said Muharmizan was part of the team deployed to Bengkalis since Sunday (29/3/2026).
On Monday (30/3/2026), he and the team began extinguishing the fire from 07:30 WIB until around 17:30 WIB on peatland.