The Volunteer Firefighters of Tumbang Nusa
In response to the catastrophic 2015 fire and haze, the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry issued a decree for the creation of a volunteer firefighter group called “Masyarakat Peduli Api” (MPA) in each of the 300 villages in Indonesia that are at risk of fire3. Its purpose is to empower the village communities to be self-reliant in preventing and putting out fires in their respective areas. In 2021, Pak Silpanus became the head of the MPA of Tumbang Nusa. He and the 16 members of the “Perintis” MPA work three months out of the year in the dry season to prevent and extinguish fires in their area.