Riau Receives Two Additional Water Bombing Helicopters from BNPB

Pekanbaru — The province of Riau has received additional support in the form of two water bombing helicopters from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) of the Republic of Indonesia to assist in extinguishing forest and land fires. The Head of the Riau Regional Disaster Management Agency and Fire Department (BPBD Damkar), M. Edy Afrizal, stated that the two water bombing helicopters landed at Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru on Sunday (7/6). The units consist of Sikorsky and Blackhawk models.

He noted that with the addition of these two water bombing helicopters, there are now five helicopters available in Riau province for forest and land fire management. This fleet includes four water bombing helicopters and one dedicated to patrol duties. This support will significantly assist the fire suppression process in Riau, particularly in locations that are difficult for ground teams to reach, thereby enabling faster fire containment.

“We will use these water bombing helicopters to extinguish forest and land fires in locations that are difficult for ground teams to access, ensuring that firefighting can be carried out more rapidly before the fires spread,” he said.

Previously, on Friday (5/6), Riau province also received an additional water bombing helicopter from the BNPB. This additional helicopter arrived in Pekanbaru after being flown from Subang, Malaysia. The incoming aircraft is a Sikorsky S-61A type with registration number N5193Y. With the arrival of these assets, Riau’s aerial firefighting capabilities remain well-maintained.