As Smoke Thickens, Danger Persists: Prioritizing Safety for Firefighters

Reviewing the Protection of Forest and Land Fire Personnel through the Implementation of Occupational Health and Safety Management System (SMK3) Principles in Kalimantan

JurnalPost.com — When forest and land fires occur, public attention is almost always focused on the extent of scorched land, the number of hotspots, and how quickly the flames are extinguished. Every hectare of land saved is considered a success in disaster management.

However, behind these figures are people who must face flames, thick smoke, extreme temperatures, and unpredictable terrain. They are the firefighters, disaster response personnel, and volunteers who risk their safety to protect the community and the environment.

Have we ever questioned how safe they are while carrying out their duties?

Firefighters have long been called heroes. Their courage is celebrated, while the sacrifices they make are often viewed as part of their service. However, honoring their bravery should not lead to the normalization of safety risks.

Saving the environment and the community should not come at the cost of the responders' safety.

If public safety is the primary goal of disaster management, why is the safety of those doing the saving not treated with the same level of seriousness?

When Extinguishing Efforts Lead to Disaster

The land fire incident in the former Temindung Airport area, Samarinda, on 12 September 2026 serves as a reminder that accidents can occur while personnel are attempting to control hazards.

Irfan, a member of the Samarinda City Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), along with Dino, a volunteer and Head of the Lempake Disaster Resilient Village, suffered burns while involved in firefighting operations.

Based on initial reports regarding the incident, the pump engine used for firefighting had just been refueled. When the engine was started, sparks and a burst of flames struck both personnel. Both were subsequently provided with medical treatment.

This chronology cannot yet be treated as a technical investigation conclusion regarding the cause of the accident. However, this incident is sufficient grounds to evaluate equipment safety, refueling procedures, and the operating distance of machinery from fire sources.

A similar event highlighting the high risks of handling forest and land fires also occurred in Central Kalimantan.

On 24 August 2026, Maulana Adi Saputra, a 20-year-old volunteer firefighter in Palangka Raya, suffered serious burns while trying to protect residential areas from flames.

A shift in wind direction caused the fire to move rapidly and blocked his escape route. Maulana reportedly suffered burns over a large portion of his body and had to undergo medical treatment.

The incident demonstrates how changing environmental conditions occurring in seconds can turn firefighting operations into life-threatening situations.

Grief also enveloped the families of volunteers in Central Kalimantan.

On 27 August 2026, Akhmad Rizani, a volunteer from the Jekan Raya District Fire Response Team, passed away after undergoing treatment for six days. Previously, his health condition was reported to have declined while involved in firefighting activities.

A few days later, on 30 August 2026, Ahmadin, a volunteer firefighter from West Kotawaringin, also passed away after receiving medical treatment. He had previously been reported to be suffering from respiratory issues.

Both events certainly cannot be immediately concluded as the result of smoke exposure, workplace accidents, or failure to implement safety protocols without adequate medical examination and investigation.

However, this series of events highlights the importance of health monitoring, evacuation readiness, and protection systems for personnel during and after carrying out their duties.

If every extinguished hotspot is recorded as a success, shouldn't every injured responder also be a reason to evaluate the safety system?

Thousands of Hectares Burned, How is Personnel Safety Measured?

The threat of forest and land fires in Kalimantan throughout 2026 shows the magnitude of the challenges faced by personnel in the field.

Based on the recapitulation by the Disaster Management Operations Control Center (Pusdalops-PB) of East Kalimantan BPBD, published by the East Kalimantan Provincial Government on 14 October 2026, as of 13 October, there were 2,162 recorded forest and land fire incidents with an affected area reaching 8,713.14 hectares.

Specifically for the period of 1–13 October 2026, there were 311 incidents with an affected area of approximately 1,013.88 hectares.

Meanwhile, the Central Kalimantan Provincial Government reported 5,937 forest and land fire incidents with a burned area reaching 17,530.18 hectares as of 8 October 2026.

Differences in reporting times and calculation coverage mean these figures cannot be used directly to determine the severity of fires between regions. However, both illustrate the heavy burden of managing forest and land fires in Kalimantan.

The scale of personnel deployment is also significant.

The Central Kalimantan Provincial Government in September 2026 announced the readiness of approximately 10,700 joint personnel for forest and land fire management. Of that number, more than 5,300 people are volunteers.

This means that nearly half of the personnel force prepared comes from the community.

The high level of volunteer involvement shows that safety protection must not only focus on government employees or personnel with formal employment relationships.

The important question is how far the safety of all these personnel is truly monitored.

How many personnel suffer injuries, severe fatigue, or health issues during operations? Are their work hours and health conditions recorded? Are equipment suitability and near-miss incidents part of routine evaluations?

Without personnel safety indicators, the success of disaster management will only be seen from the number of hotspots successfully controlled, not from the condition of the people controlling them.

The Threat of Forest Fires Does Not Only Come from Flames

Fire is the most visible hazard in firefighting operations. However, forest and land fire personnel actually face various other risks that are no less serious.

Smoke exposure, heat stress, dehydration, physical fatigue, wind direction changes, unstable terrain, and equipment failure can all be sources of accidents or health problems.

Fire smoke itself contains a mixture of dangerous particles and gases, including fine particulate matter PM2.5 and carbon monoxide.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), under the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to forest fire smoke has the potential to cause various health problems, including respiratory irritation and the exacerbation of lung and heart conditions.

The use of particulate respirators such as N95 can help reduce exposure to fine particles if selected and used correctly.

However, N95 does not provide protection against carbon monoxide gas. In high-temperature conditions and heavy physical activity, the use of respirators also needs to consider the risk of heat-related health issues.

Therefore, protecting personnel is not enough just by distributing masks or personal protective equipment.

Comprehensive risk management is required, ranging from limiting smoke exposure, arranging team rotations, providing drinking water, rest periods, health monitoring, to evacuation route readiness.

Personnel must also have the authority to stop work when field conditions are no longer safe.

Stopping dangerous operations is not a sign of a lack of courage. On the contrary, such a decision is part of an effort to prevent further casualties.

Implementation of SMK3 Principles in Forest and Land Fire Management

Indonesia already has an occupational health and safety management framework through Government Regulation Number 50 of 2012 concerning the Implementation of the Occupational Health and Safety Management System (SMK3).

In Article 6, there are five main elements of SMK3 implementation: establishing K3 policy, K3 planning, implementation of K3 plans, monitoring and evaluation of K3 performance, and review and improvement of SMK3 performance.

These five elements should not only be understood as administrative requirements but also as a systematic approach to preventing work-related accidents and health issues.

In forest and land fire management, the implementation of these principles can be translated through several concrete steps.

Establishing policy means organizational leadership demonstrates commitment to personnel safety and provides the necessary resources.

Planning is carried out through hazard identification before operations, including anticipating changes in wind direction, terrain conditions, equipment readiness, and personnel physical capabilities.

Implementation includes providing equipment according to risks, training, clear task division, personnel rotation arrangements, and emergency aid readiness.

Meanwhile, monitoring and evaluation are carried out by recording incidents, health complaints, near-miss events, and the condition of facilities and infrastructure.

The results of these evaluations then become the basis for improving procedures so that similar accidents do not recur.

However, there is an important point to understand from a regulatory perspective.

The formal obligation for SMK3 implementation based on GR Number 50 of 2012 applies to companies that employ at least 100 workers or have a high potential hazard level.

Meanwhile, government personnel and disaster management volunteers are in different institutional relationships and regulatory settings.

Thus, the implementation of SMK3 principles in forest and land fire management activities needs to be adjusted to the authority, responsibilities, and regulations applicable to each organization.

Even so, differences in legal arrangements do not reduce the importance of safety principles for all personnel.

Forest and land fire control also has a sectoral basis through the Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation Number P.32 of 2016 concerning Forest and Land Fire Control.

At the regional level, East Kalimantan already has Regional Regulation Number 9 of 2024 concerning the Forest and Land Fire Disaster Management System.

The existence of these regulations is an important foundation. However, the true measure of success lies in the implementation and evaluation of personnel protection in the field.

Complete rules do not automatically mean risks have been controlled.

Protecting Volunteers Must Be Part of the System

In various forest and land fire events, volunteers play a very important role, especially when fires occur near residential areas.

They are often part of the initial response because they are close to the incident location and are familiar with local conditions.

However, the magnitude of volunteer contributions must be balanced with clear protection while carrying out duties.

Safety training, equipment availability, communication mechanisms, access to medical aid, and clarity on medical treatment funding need to be addressed in the management of volunteer activities.

Assignment status and access to work accident protection schemes also need to be ensured in accordance with applicable provisions.

No one who suffers an injury while helping with disaster management should face uncertainty regarding who is responsible for their medical care.

The spirit of volunteerism is indeed born from social concern. However, that spirit should not be used as an excuse to ignore safety standards.

Protecting volunteers does not mean diminishing the value of their service. On the contrary, adequate protection is a form of appreciation for the contributions they have made.

Forest Fire Success Must Be Measured by Human Safety

Forest and land fire management requires broader success indicators than just the number of extinguished hotspots and the area of land saved.

Regional governments and disaster management agencies need to start placing personnel safety as part of operational performance evaluations.

These indicators can include the number of injury incidents, health complaints after assignment, near-miss events, equipment suitability inspection results, and follow-up on safety recommendations.

This recording is important not to find someone to blame, but as a basis for identifying system weaknesses and preventing similar events.

In addition, risk evaluation before every operation, evacuation route mapping, communication regarding wind direction changes, and work and rest time arrangements must be part of consistent procedures.

Protection also needs to continue after operations are completed, especially for personnel experiencing symptoms due to smoke exposure, severe fatigue, or other health issues.

Individual courage should not be a substitute for organizational responsibility in providing a safe working environment.

Personnel are indeed required to be alert in facing emergencies. However, organizations must also be brave enough to acknowledge risks, improve unsafe procedures, and stop operations when personnel safety is threatened.

Ultimately, the success of forest and land fire management is not sufficiently calculated by the number of hectares of land saved.

We are so quick to calculate the area of forest scorched by fire. But have we calculated the risks borne by those who struggle to save it?

The forest that is saved is a success. However, that success should not be paid for with the safety of the people who saved it.

Because protecting the forest is a shared responsibility, but protecting those who risk their lives to guard it is an obligation that must not be ignored.