MP: Safety Must Be a Priority for Forest and Land Firefighters
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Bambang Purwanto, has reminded that safety must remain a priority for officers in the field tasked with extinguishing forest and land fires (karhutla).
He noted that most fire locations are situated in peatland areas, making the firefighting process highly risky. He expressed his appreciation for the hard work of the Task Force teams and volunteers who continue to strive to extinguish numerous hotspots.
“The Task Force team is the frontline in handling forest and land fires. Therefore, their health and safety must be taken into account,” Bambang stated in a written statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday.
To that end, he said that the health and safety of officers must not be neglected amidst their efforts to protect the public. Given the difficult terrain and surrounding smoke, personnel must continue to work hard to ensure that the flames can be controlled and prevented from spreading.
“I hope they remain spirited in carrying out their duties, but they must never ignore their personal safety when struggling to extinguish the fire,” he said.
The MP, representing the Central Kalimantan constituency, also distributed complete sets of masks to officers from the Forest and Land Fire Task Force currently working in West Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan.
He assessed that the current condition of forest and land fires in West Kotawaringin is quite worrying. In addition to impacting public health, the haze caused by these fires also has the potential to disrupt activities and the economy.
He noted that the handling of forest and land fires in West Kotawaringim Regency has been carried out through strong collaboration. The local government, alongside the TNI-Polri (Indonesian National Armed Forces and National Police) and volunteers, continues to work in synergy to face the disaster.
He also called upon all residents of West Kotawaringin to support prevention and mitigation measures for forest and land fires. According to him, collective efforts are essential to ensure the region can avoid the threat of haze.