KUBU RAYA, WEST KALIMANTAN – “I am currently 50 years old, and I have been a volunteer firefighter for about 10 years,” said Kasim (50).
Kasim is a resident volunteer of the Community Fire Care (Masyarakat Peduli Api – MPA) from Mulyorejo Hamlet, Limbung Village, Sungai Raya District, Kubu Raya Regency. He is a benefit recipient of the Medical Service Action from the Disaster Management Center (DMC) and the Emergency Health Response (RDK) of the Free Healthcare Service (LKC) of Dompet Dhuafa, which was deployed in West Kalimantan on Friday (25/8/2023) to handle forest and land fires (Karhutla).
During a consultation, Kasim complained of shortness of breath, flu, cough, and headaches to the Dompet Dhuafa Medical Team. Kasim believes that these are the long-term effects of exposure to Karhutla smoke. He has been a volunteer firefighter for 10 years in his area, which is surrounded by flammable peat forests.
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“I felt short of breath, had a runny nose, cough, and headache. The pain has only recently appeared,” he explained.
Recently, he even participated in extinguishing the Karhutla fires around his house. The KKubu Raya region was monitored to have 200 hotspots. The exact cause of the fire remains a mystery. Preliminary suspicions include the actions of local residents and even large corporations. However, Kasim believes the cause of the fires is a combination of natural factors and human activities.
“Sometimes there are mischievous individuals, like throwing cigarette butts while fishing or bird hunting,” he said.
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Kasim doesn’t dwell on the cause of Karhutla. What matters to him is how to extinguish the spreading and blazing fires in his area so that safety and comfort can be restored for his family and the community.
His family members are not against Kasim being a volunteer firefighter. While there is still concern, they fully support Kasim’s activities.
However, the act of volunteer firefighting comes at the cost of Kasim’s health. For him, it’s a logical consequence. Despite using complete Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the health risks of prolonged exposure to smoke are unavoidable.
“I feel no disappointment. (The illness) is destined, and there is nothing to regret,” he expressed.
Dear friends, the danger of Karhutla is very real. Let’s transition to environmentally friendly land clearing methods, impose strong sanctions, and maintain strict supervision to prevent individuals or corporations from starting fires and creating large-scale Karhutla that endangers the community. Because there is only one Earth, let’s act now. (Dompet Dhuafa/DMC/AFP)