Enviro News Asia, Pontianak — Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry has strengthened health and safety support for Manggala Agni personnel in West Kalimantan after nearly three weeks of continuous efforts to control forest and land fires.
The Manggala Agni Pontianak Operations Area (Daops) currently has 65 personnel, reinforced by 15 additional personnel from the Forest Fire Control Center for the Sulawesi Region. They are working alongside the Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police (Polri), National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Fire Care Communities (MPA), and other stakeholders to contain the fires.
To maintain the readiness and safety of personnel operating in challenging conditions, the Ministry of Forestry deployed a medical team from the Manggala Wanabakti Primary Clinic to conduct health examinations at the Manggala Agni Pontianak headquarters in Rasau Jaya District. The examinations included blood pressure checks, respiratory assessments, and medical consultations.
The ministry also provided multivitamins, additional nutritional support, and portable oxygen as part of its efforts to protect firefighters from the physical impacts of prolonged operations. Personnel have been exposed to intense heat, smoke, fatigue, and difficult terrain while carrying out firefighting, cooling operations, and patrols to prevent fires from reigniting.
Director of Forest Resources Utilization and Protection Suharyono said maintaining the health of frontline personnel was essential to ensuring the continuity of forest and land fire operations.
“Operations have been underway for almost three weeks. We must ensure that personnel on the frontline remain healthy and can work safely. They face heat, smoke, fatigue and difficult field conditions,” Suharyono said.
He added that support for Manggala Agni should extend beyond firefighting equipment and operational logistics to include healthcare, nutrition, physical recovery and personnel safety.
Head of the Manggala Agni Pontianak Operations Area, Taufik, said the prolonged operation required careful management of personnel and resources. The deployment of 15 additional personnel from Sulawesi has helped strengthen field operations while allowing teams to maintain their operational capacity.
“After firefighting, the work is not always finished because cooling operations and patrols are still needed to ensure that the fire does not return. Under these conditions, the stamina and health of personnel must be carefully maintained,” Taufik said.
The health support operation involved the Ministry of Forestry, represented by Suharyono, the Acting Head of the Forest Management Unit Region X as the coordinator of the ministry’s technical units in West Kalimantan, the Forest Law Enforcement Center for the Kalimantan Region, the Forest Fire Control Center for the Kalimantan Region, and medical personnel from the Manggala Wanabakti Primary Clinic.
The Ministry of Forestry also expressed appreciation to Manggala Agni personnel, including the personnel deployed from Sulawesi, as well as the TNI, Polri, BNPB, local governments, Fire Care Communities, volunteers, businesses, healthcare workers and other stakeholders involved in forest and land fire prevention and control.
The ministry said the sustainability of fire-control operations depends not only on personnel numbers and firefighting equipment, but also on the health and safety of those working on the frontline. Under the direction of Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni, the government continues to strengthen integrated forest and land fire control while ensuring the protection of both field personnel and affected communities.
The ministry emphasized that controlling forest and land fires is not only about extinguishing flames, but also about ensuring that personnel return home safely, communities remain protected and forests are preserved. (*)
