On the 18th and 19th of July, the firefighting brigade of the forest management units (KPH) of Kapuas Hulu Timur and Kapuas Hulu Utara received a training from the Manggala Agni in Putussibau, West Kalimantan. The Manggala Agni is the Indonesian Forest Fire Control Brigade, which was formed in order to carry out forest fire control tasks including prevention, suppression, and post-fire management of forests. This training aimed to familiarize the firefighting brigade with new equipment provided by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. The training also informed the brigade on better preparation measures for the dry season. Before the training came to an end each group had to show their new skills by fighting a fire. This was closely monitored by the instructors in terms of leadership, teamwork, communication and handling the equipment.

For more information, please contact:
Reinhard Hilliger, Technical adviser for forest management unit
Petrus Derani, Adviser for Community based Forest Management