South Sumatra Governor to Introduce Shift System for Forest and Land Firefighters in OKI

Palembang (ANTARA) - South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru will introduce a shift system for firefighters tackling forest and land fires to protect the physical condition of personnel working in the province, particularly in Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) district.

Speaking in Palembang on Friday, Deru said work needed to be divided into two or three shifts because the area being tackled in OKI spans tens of thousands of hectares, making it impossible for personnel to work around the clock without relief.

“Fortunately, we have no funding or morale constraints. But the work needs to be organised concretely in rotations, divided into two or three shifts, because one person cannot work for 24 hours,” he said.

Alongside strengthening firefighting efforts, the South Sumatra Provincial Government and the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) are committed to firmly and fairly enforcing the law against those responsible for land burning.

The police are also preparing equipment and infrastructure and adding ground firefighting personnel, particularly in high-risk areas.

Deru said the additional personnel had been approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) to support firefighting in a wildlife sanctuary.

“The police may reinforce operations in the wildlife sanctuary. The important thing is for the agency to identify the points that need to be extinguished, because the area covers tens of thousands of hectares,” he said.

The fire response also involves personnel from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the police, Manggala Agni, the Fire-Aware Community (MPA) and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD).

In addition to more personnel, South Sumatra received 15 new fire engines from the Ministry of Defence, delivered this week.

Deru said the additional vehicles and personnel should be deployed to areas facing the highest risks and the largest fires, particularly OKI district.

“I have asked them to focus on areas that are especially vulnerable and extensive, such as OKI,” he said.

Efforts to tackle the fires are also being strengthened through Weather Modification Operations (OMC), under the control of the Korem military commander and Air Force base commander. The operations are intended to support firefighting and reduce the impact of haze in South Sumatra.

“OMC can take the form of artificial rain, moving rain, and can also use dry ice,” Deru said.