TNI Command School Commander Emphasises Prevention and Early Detection of Forest and Land Fires in Bengkayang
The most important aspect is prevention, specifically increasing public awareness to avoid clearing land through burning.
Bengkayang (ANTARA) - The Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TUL) Command and Staff School, Air Marshal M. Khairil Lubis, has emphasised the importance of prevention and early detection to reduce the risk of forest and land fires (karhutla) in Bengkayang Regency, West Kalimantan.
Khairil stated that prevention must be a priority by raising public awareness to avoid clearing or cleaning land using burning methods, particularly given the region’s vulnerability to fires during the dry season.
“The most important thing is prevention, and how to increase community awareness so that they do not clear land by burning,” said Khairil during an inspection of the forest fire prevention counselling activity for the LVI Dikreg Pasis Sesko TNI students at the Bengkayang District Office Hall on Thursday.
Khairil asserted that handling forest and land fires cannot be undertaken by a single institution alone, but requires synergy between the TNI, the National Police, local governments, relevant agencies, companies, village governments, and the community.
“Cross-sector synergy is highly necessary. All elements must play a role in the prevention, monitoring, reporting, and handling of forest and land fires,” he said.
He also encouraged increased preparedness and monitoring in areas with high fire potential, especially when facing the dry season. Continuous monitoring is required to identify potential fires early and to accelerate response measures.
During the counselling activity, the forest fire prevention task force team for the LVI Dikreg Pasis Sesko TNI students also provided education to the community regarding the dangers of forest fires and the importance of community involvement in prevention.
This approach was implemented to ensure that forest fire prevention education is received more effectively, tailored to the characteristics of the community in each respective area.
He expressed hope that increased awareness, preparedness, and collaboration among all parties could reduce the occurrence of forest and land fires in Bengkayang and prevent widespread fires that have the potential to cause haze and disrupt public health and activities.
“The active role of the community is very much needed, not only when a fire occurs, but from the prevention stage and in reporting if any potential fire is discovered,” he said.