Help Put Out Forest And Land Fires In West Kalimantan, PMI Deploys Volunteers

PMI Volunteers while attending training on handling Karhutla by the West Kalimantan BPBD (HO)

PONTIANAK - In order to help extinguish the forest and land fires in a number of areas in West Kalimantan, the Head of the Youth Red Cross and the West Kalimantan PMI volunteers, Rita Hastarita, said that her party involved a number of volunteers from PMI.

"We have to admit that forest and land fire extinguishing activities are one of the toughest tasks faced by our volunteers. The weight is helping to extinguish forest and land fires, because the risk is very high," said Rita in Pontianak, Saturday.

He explained that the Red Cross of Youth and PMI (Palang Merah Indonesia) West Kalimantan (Kalbar) volunteers faced tough challenges in carrying out their volunteer duties, especially in efforts to extinguish forest and land fires (karhutla).

"Because the risks that accompany it are very large, the spirit of volunteers to jointly carry out this noble task is not strong," he said.

Despite knowing the risks faced, Rita emphasized that the volunteer spirit is to move together in dealing with the situation. Not only relying on the government or the private sector, but they are aware that collaboration from all parties is the key in overcoming this problem.

With thousands of hectares of burned land, collaboration is important to ensure extinguishing efforts can be carried out effectively.

"The risk is indeed great, but the spirit of resistance has encouraged us to serve sincerely. Even with all the risks, we have undergone training and participated in SOPs and established procedures and we are also equipped with appropriate tools to protect ourselves," he said.

Although the majority of the volunteers involved are women, the spirit of strong resistance and the training they have undertaken allows them to carry out this task well, while still prioritizing safety. Rita explained that many female volunteers involved have tomboy characters and have been trained to overcome physical challenges.

"In the field, female volunteers are given the opportunity to show their abilities. This is a way to motivate them further, meaning that everyone has the appropriate support and role," added Rita, quoted from ANTARA, Saturday afternoon.

In this exciting and brave situation, the Red Cross of Youth and West Kalimantan PMI volunteers remain focused on their goals to assist in extinguishing forest and land fires.

"With the hard work and cooperation of all parties, they hope to make a positive contribution in maintaining the environment and safety of the community," he said.