Gugur Officials, Commission IV of the DPR Ask the Government to Provide Insurance for Firefighters

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission IV of the DPR Alex Indra Lukman expressed his condolences for the death of forest and land fire fighters (Karhutla) in Riau. He asked the government to provide safety guarantees and insurance protection for Karhutla firefighters because it is one of the jobs with high risks.

"On behalf of the leadership and members of Commission IV of the DPR RI, we express our deepest condolences for the death of one of the members of the 4 Manggala Agni Daops Siak Regu," Alex Indra Lukman told reporters, Wednesday, April 1.

Alex also emphasized the importance of adequate infrastructure and equipment for each Karhutla fire fighter considering their dangerous work.

"Life is very valuable. Therefore, safety equipment is very important to be available and used in full when on duty. Don't let there be an incident, the Manggala Agni team is on duty with the standard of safety as it is," he said.

Alex also highlighted a similar incident where a Brimob officer from the Riau Police named Ipda Donald Junus Halomoan died on August 4, 2025 while on duty handling Karhutla in Simpang Kanan District, Rokan Hilir Regency.

Regarding the repeated incidents experienced by the personnel nicknamed 'Fire Commander', Alex reminded the Ministry of Forestry, to ensure that sudden deaths are no longer experienced by Manggala Agni personnel and officers from other institutions who are deployed to extinguish Karhutla.

"The cause of the death of the Manggala Agni personnel must be investigated thoroughly so that similar incidents do not happen again in the future," said Alex.

Alex encouraged the relevant parties to provide risk protection guarantees for 956 Manggala Agni personnel under the control of the Sumatra Forest Fire Control Center (Dalkarhut) which oversees 10 provinces on the Andalas Island. Including by obtaining health and occupational safety insurance protection.

"This health and occupational safety insurance protection is important, as proof of the state's presence in protecting family members from personnel who have the burden of state duties," he said.

In addition to insurance, Alex also reminded the importance of regular health checks for every Manggala Agni personnel who are tasked with putting out the Karhutla fire.

"With regular health checks, the safety of personnel who put out the fire is maintained, so it is more guarded so that it does not trigger a work accident," concluded Alex.

As is known, the sad news came from the ranks of the Riau Karhutla fighters, Monday, March 30. A member of Regu 4 Manggala Agni Daops Siak named Muharmizan (44), died suddenly after carrying out a fire-fighting duty in Palkun Village, Bengkalis District, Bengkalis Regency, Riau Province.

The victim is suspected of dying from exhaustion. Because at that time the joint officers from Manggala Agni, TNI, Polri and other officers were struggling to put out the Karhutla.