Mesin pompa air berjejer. Peralatan patroli diperiksa. Para penjaga hutan berdiri bersama pemerintah desa, aparat keamanan, dan masyarakat yang selama ini terlibat dalam pencegahan kebakaran hutan dan lahan (karhutla).
Pagi itu, halaman Rumah Betang Bandar, Kecamatan Kahayan Hilir, menjadi titik temu berbagai pihak untuk memperkuat satu hal: mencegah api sebelum menjadi bencana.
Apel Siaga Cegah Karhutla, Kec. Kahayan Hilir. Sumber foto: KPSHK.
Rabu, 12 Agustus 2026, Konsorsium Pendukung Sistem Hutan Kerakyatan (KPSHK) bersama para pihak menggelar Apel Siaga Cegah Karhutla sebagai bagian dari rangkaian Darung Bawan 2026 “Melawan Super El Nino di Kahayan Hilir”.
Kepala desa dari kawasan Inisiatif Kahayan Hilir (IKH) dan desa-desa tetangga hadir bersama LPHD, Tim Penjaga Hutan (TPH), Tim Darurat Karhutla (TDK), Masyarakat Peduli Api (MPA), KPH, pemerintah kecamatan, TNI/Polri, tokoh adat, tokoh agama, dan unsur lainnya.
Mereka membawa peran masing-masing, tetapi bertemu pada tujuan yang sama: memastikan Kahayan Hilir tetap siap menghadapi ancaman karhutla.
Camat Kahayan Hilir, Endra Setiawan sebagai pembina Apel Siaga. KPSHK. Sumber foto. KPHSK.
Apel hanya berlangsung beberapa jam. Namun, kesiapsiagaan yang dibangun di dalamnya berlangsung sepanjang musim kemarau.
Ada tim yang melakukan patroli, masyarakat yang menjadi sumber informasi awal, pemerintah desa yang meneruskan laporan, serta MPA dan TPH yang siap bergerak ketika dibutuhkan. Ketika situasi membutuhkan penanganan lebih lanjut, koordinasi dilakukan bersama unsur pemerintah dan aparat keamanan.
Field Project Manager KPSHK, Edy Subahani, mengatakan kesiapsiagaan karhutla telah dilakukan sejak Mei 2026. Patroli, pemantauan, sosialisasi, dan penanganan di lapangan terus dilakukan untuk mengurangi risiko kebakaran. “Kegiatan ini bukan hanya fokus di area proyek, tetapi di seluruh desa rawan kebakaran di wilayah Kecamatan Kahayan Hilir,” ujar Edy.
Pesan tersebut menegaskan bahwa pencegahan membutuhkan kerja lintas wilayah. Kebakaran tidak mengenal batas administrasi desa, sehingga kewaspadaan pun perlu dibangun bersama.
Bertindak sebagai pembina apel, Camat Kahayan Hilir, Endra Setiawan, mengajak seluruh pihak memperkuat kerja sama dalam mencegah karhutla. “Mari kita bekerja sama untuk mencegah karhutla. Mari kita jaga dan jangan membakar lahan, serta saling mengingatkan,” pesan Endra.
Pencegahan dapat dimulai dari hal sederhana: tidak membakar lahan, tidak membuang puntung rokok sembarangan, dan segera melaporkan jika menemukan asap atau api.
Karena itu, masyarakat bukan hanya penerima imbauan. Mereka menjadi bagian dari sistem pencegahan yang dapat mengenali dan melaporkan potensi kebakaran sejak awal.
Komitmen tersebut juga dibawa ke tingkat desa. Kepala Desa Garung, Wanson, mengatakan apel siaga menjadi momentum untuk memperkuat kesiapan yang telah dibangun bersama masyarakat. “Dengan adanya apel siaga hari ini, memperkuat komitmen bersama agar kita jangan membakar lahan, jangan membuang puntung rokok sembarangan, dan laporkan secepatnya dengan akurat jika ada api kepada MPA, TPH, dan desa,” ujar Wanson.
Bagi Wanson, kesiapsiagaan berarti mengetahui apa yang harus dilakukan sebelum keadaan menjadi darurat. Ketika masyarakat menemukan api, kecepatan laporan menjadi penting agar tim dapat segera mengetahui lokasi dan mengambil tindakan.
Dari tingkat desa, rantai pencegahan itu dimulai.
Setelah amanat dan doa bersama, kesiapan diperlihatkan melalui pemeriksaan pasukan dan peralatan patroli.
Mesin pompa, selang, alat komunikasi, GPS, perlengkapan keselamatan, dan kesiapan personel diperiksa dalam rangkaian simulasi.
Simulasi ini memperlihatkan bahwa penanganan awal membutuhkan tiga hal penting: peralatan yang siap, personel yang memahami tugas, dan komunikasi yang berjalan.
LPHD, TPH, dan MPA juga menjadi bagian dari jaringan kerja yang terhubung dengan pemerintah desa, kecamatan, KPH, serta TNI/Polri.
Ketika laporan kebakaran masuk, tim tidak memulai dari nol. Personel sudah disiapkan, peralatan tersedia, jalur komunikasi telah dibangun, dan pihak-pihak yang perlu dilibatkan sudah diketahui.
Apel berakhir. Barisan dibubarkan. Peserta kembali ke desa dan wilayah kerja masing-masing.
Namun, komitmen yang dibawa dari Rumah Betang Bandar tidak berhenti ketika kegiatan selesai.
Ia kembali ke Garung, Gohong, Buntoi, Kalawa, Mantaren I, dan desa-desa lain di Kahayan Hilir melalui tindakan sehari-hari: tidak membakar lahan, tidak membuang puntung rokok sembarangan, saling mengingatkan, menjaga kewaspadaan, dan segera melaporkan jika menemukan api.
Karhutla tidak selalu dimulai dari kebakaran besar. Sering kali, ia berawal dari sumber api kecil yang tidak segera diketahui.
Karena itu, menjaga Kahayan Hilir bukan hanya tentang bagaimana memadamkan api, tetapi bagaimana memastikan api tidak berkembang menjadi bencana.
Apel boleh selesai. Tetapi penjagaan terus berjalan.
Penulis: Alma
Water pumps stood in rows. Patrol equipment was inspected. Forest guardians stood alongside village officials, security personnel, and community members who have long been involved in preventing forest and land fires.
That morning, the grounds of the Bandar *Betang* (traditional longhouse) in Kahayan Hilir District served as a gathering point for various stakeholders to reinforce a single objective: preventing fires before they escalate into disasters.
Readiness assembly for forest and land fire prevention, Kahayan Hilir District. Photo source: KPSHK.
On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, the Consortium for Supporting Community-Based Forest Systems (KPSHK), together with various stakeholders, held a “Forest and Land Fire Prevention Readiness Assembly” as part of the *Darung Bawan* 2026 series, themed “Combating Super El Niño in Kahayan Hilir.”
Village heads from the Kahayan Hilir Initiative (IKH) area and neighboring villages attended, joined by Village Forest Management Institutions (LPHD), Forest Guard Teams (TPH), Forest Fire Emergency Teams (TDK), Fire-Aware Communities (MPA), Forest Management Units (KPH), district government officials, military and police personnel, customary and religious leaders, and other stakeholders.
While each brought their own specific roles, they united behind a shared goal: ensuring Kahayan Hilir remains prepared to face the threat of forest and land fires.
Kahayan Hilir District Head Endra Setiawan presiding over the Forest and Land Fire Preparedness Roll Call. KPSHK. Photo credit: KPSHK.
The assembly itself lasted only a few hours, yet the state of readiness established there is designed to endure throughout the dry season.
There are teams conducting patrols, community members serving as sources of early information, village officials relaying reports, and MPA and TPH units ready to mobilize when needed. When situations require further intervention, coordination is carried out with government agencies and security forces.
KPSHK Field Project Manager Edy Subahani stated that forest fire preparedness efforts have been underway since May 2026. Patrols, monitoring, public outreach, and field interventions are continuously conducted to mitigate fire risks. “This activity focuses not only on the project area but extends to all fire-prone villages within the Kahayan Hilir District,” Edy said.
This message underscores that prevention requires cross-area collaboration. Fires do not respect administrative village boundaries; therefore, vigilance must be built collectively. Presiding over the assembly, the Head of Kahayan Hilir District, Endra Setiawan, urged all parties to strengthen cooperation in preventing forest and land fires. “Let us work together to prevent forest and land fires. Let us protect the land—do not burn it—and remind one another,” Endra advised.
Prevention can begin with simple actions: refraining from burning land, not carelessly discarding cigarette butts, and immediately reporting any sightings of smoke or fire.
Consequently, the community is not merely a recipient of advisories; they are an integral part of the prevention system, capable of identifying and reporting potential fires at an early stage.
This commitment extends to the village level. The Head of Garung Village, Wanson, stated that the readiness assembly served as a moment to reinforce the preparedness established with the community. “Today’s assembly strengthens our shared commitment: do not burn land, do not carelessly discard cigarette butts, and—if fire is spotted—report it quickly and accurately to the MPA (Community Fire Care Group), TPH (Forest Fire Control Team), and village authorities,” Wanson said.
For Wanson, preparedness means knowing what to do before a situation escalates into an emergency. When community members spot a fire, the speed of the report is crucial, enabling teams to quickly pinpoint the location and take action.
The chain of prevention begins at the village level.
Following the address and a joint prayer, readiness was demonstrated through an inspection of personnel and patrol equipment.
Water pumps, hoses, communication devices, GPS units, safety gear, and personnel readiness were all checked as part of a series of simulations.
These simulations highlighted that initial response requires three key elements: ready-to-use equipment, personnel who understand their duties, and effective communication channels.
LPHD (Village Forest Management Institutions), TPH, and MPA are also part of a network linked to village and district governments, the KPH (Forest Management Unit), and the TNI/Polri (military and police).
When a fire report comes in, the team does not start from scratch. Personnel are already prepared, equipment is available, communication lines are established, and the necessary stakeholders have already been identified.
The assembly concluded. The formations were dismissed. Participants returned to their respective villages and areas of operation. However, the commitment fostered at Rumah Betang Bandar did not end when the event concluded.
It carried over into daily life in Garung, Gohong, Buntoi, Kalawa, Mantaren I, and other villages across Kahayan Hilir through concrete actions: refraining from burning land, not carelessly discarding cigarette butts, reminding one another, remaining vigilant, and immediately reporting any signs of fire.
Forest and land fires do not always begin as massive blazes; often, they start from small ignition sources that go unnoticed at first.
Therefore, safeguarding Kahayan Hilir is not merely about extinguishing fires, but about ensuring that a fire does not escalate into a disaster.
The assembly may have ended, but the watch continues.
Author: Alma
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