inp.polri.go.id - Jambi. Forest and land fires in Jambi national parks face serious challenges. Besides the difficult terrain, the fires smoldering beneath the peatland surface make extinguishing efforts challenging.

This situation prompted Jambi Regional Police Chief Inspector General Widodo to request the involvement of experts to find more effective extinguishing methods.

Widodo explained that limited access to the fire locations was a major obstacle. Officers had to navigate difficult terrain, while hotspots could persist within the peat layer even though the surface fire had been extinguished.

"We really need the help of experts on how to extinguish fires in national parks. Moreover, it’s already been difficult for us to reach the hotspot, let alone the heavy equipment," he said.

According to Widodo, extinguishing methods using airplanes or helicopters using aerial water bombing techniques are not yet fully capable of dealing with peatland fires.

Air-dropped water is believed to hit more surface vegetation, while embers can remain smoldering beneath the ground.

"Water bombing only washed the surface fire. What we need to deal with is the fire below, so we need to find a solution," he said.

To find alternative solutions, Widodo admitted to having discussed the situation with the Commander of the 042/Garuda Putih Military Command (Korem 042/White Garuda), Brigadier General Nyamin. One option discussed was deploying personnel with firefighting equipment directly to the fire site, although this method has limited reach and faces terrain challenges.

Widodo believes that handling forest and land fires in national parks requires a special approach tailored to the characteristics of peatlands.

Therefore, he is opening the opportunity for the public, academics, experts, and members of the press to submit ideas and solutions that can help address the problem.

"We are open to input from the public and members of the press. Our experts as of now still cannot draw the best solutions to handle this below the surface fire," he said.

Outside the national park area, Widodo confirmed that police personnel will continue to assist in handling fires around residential areas and community-owned land.

According to him, limited equipment is not an excuse for personnel to neglect efforts to assist residents, as long as their actions prioritize safety.

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