GUIDELINES ON PREVENTING AND CONTROLLING FOREST AND LAND FIRES IN OIL PALM PLANTATIONS DURING DRY SEASON 2020

I. INTRODUCTION

Forest and land fires are incidences of burning on forests or lands naturally or by human-caused, causing environmental damage which results in loses ecologically, economically, socio-culturally and politically. Such incidences need to be optimally anticipated and prevented in plantations and surrounding areas. It is necessary to build up a multi-party cooperation by involving the public and the authorities to minimize potentially massive fires.

In facing the dry season 2020, all members of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA) and other big plantations should prepare themselves to be able to detect, prevent and

control fires in their plantation areas and more important to prevent fires in their surrounding areas. Therefore, a guideline on preventing and controlling the forest and land fires is needed, so that the oil palm plantation areas can be prevented from fires as part of commitment to better preserve the environment.

II. BMKG PREDICTION FOR DRY SEASON 2020

The weather strongly influences the incidences of forest and land fires, so that information on forecasting of dry season, namely the start of dry season, rainfalls during dry season and peak of rainy season in each region/area, is badly needed.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Board (BMKG) predicted that the dry season in Indonesia will be started gradually from April to July 2020, and the peak of dry season in most areas will be in August 2020.

The BMKG through the hotline of https://www.bmkg.go.id/iklim/prakiraan-hujan-bulanan.bmkg has mapped areas with low rainfalls (<100 mm/month) in May-July based on chances of occurring. The data is badly needed in making preparations to deal with the dry season 2020. However, monthly monitoring on weather forescasting (rainfalls, etc) should be implemented to anticipate the change of weather from expectation.

III. LAWS ON FOREST FIRES IN OIL PALM PLANTATION

• The oil palm industry players are obliged to understand the laws on land clearing without burning and forest and land fires as follows:
• The Law No. 41/1999  on forestry, article 49 rules that the concessionaires of lands should be responsible for the fires in their concessions.
• The Law (UU) No. 32/2009 on protection and management of environment, article 88 rules that people who cause a serious threat to the environment must be held absolutely responsible for the loss  they cause without proving the elements of mistakes. Explanation of article 69 verse (2) gives a chance for the public to burn land sites at maximum of 2.0 hectare.
• The Law No.39/2014 on plantations, article 56 verse (1) bans plantation companies to open and/or cultivate land by burning.
• Enforcement of sanctions is ruled in the Law No.41/1999, article 78; UU no.32/2009, article 98,99,108,119; UU no.39/2014, article 108 and the criminal law code (KUHP) 187, 189.
• Presidential instruction (Inpres) No.3/2020 on mitigation of forest and land fires.
• Government regulation no.03/2020 on land clearing and/or cultivation of plantation areas without burning.

IV.  GUIDELINES ON PREPARATIONS AND PREVENTIVE EFFORTS

Internal

• All members of IPOA should be always alert and pay serious attention to the risks of forest and land fires in their concessions.
• Conduct identification and mapping of areas prone to fires in their respective concessions. The fire-prone areas should be the focus of monitoring and guarding efforts without causing other areas unmonitored.
• Companies set up and activate independent fires task forces in each management unit based on their respective condition and prevailing regulations.
• The task forces heads collect information on the dry season 2020, early stage of dry season, rainfalls and peak in each plantation. The information can be downloaded through the link: https://www.bmkg.go.id/iklim/prakiraan-musim.bmkg and https://www.bmkg.go.id/iklim/prakiraan-hujan- bulanan.bmkg and  website of BMKG in their respective regions. Based on the forecasting, it is necessary to conduct an analysis of similarities regarding the dry seasons in the past to give an explanation of possible condition in the future. Discuss it within the task forces and meetings of managements.
• Conduct trainings and refreshments for the task forces in charge of forest control in plantations, organization, personal and their tasks.
  • Organization consists of head, secretary, units in charge (prevention, extinguising, and logistics) and fire-fighting units (core, support, reserve).
  • Ensure number of units, from companies and the public living around, is adequate and in line with prevailing regulations.
  • Take inventory and evaluate the existence of the groups of fire-care farmers/fire-care society/fire-care villages and knowledge and skill in controlling fires in plantation areas, forests and lands. *Report the preparedness of organization and personal to related agencies.
• Check and ensure the readiness of early warning system, early detection and monitoring, fire extinguishing, post-fires mitigation that functions well.
  • The early warning system comprises of:
    • Rating of fire danger and facilities, boards/flags, map of fire-prone areas, maps of situation and works, map of water resources, resouces to control fires.

• • The rating system of forest danger (SPBK) and supporting facilities (database monitoring and board of SPBK). The SPBK is determined based on 2 methods that can be downloaded daily through the link: https://www.bmkg.go.id/cuaca/kebakaran-hutan.bmkg
• The early detection consists of:
  • Monitoring of daily hot spots that can be downloaded through the link: modis- catalog.lapan.go.id/monitoring and field verification is conducted on the identified hotspots coordinates.
  • Tactical detection on site through integrated patrols, monitoring of fire tower, monitoring with drone, or monitoring through thermal censor CCTV installed in towers.
• The hotspots monitoring instruments consist of computer that is linked to internet, fire monitoring tower and command posts.
• Ensuring all early warning and detection system in active condition and functions well.
• Ensuring that system of work, organization, personel can be easily seen.
• Ensuring that fire control equipment is available according to regulations and report to related agencies to ensure the authorities are informed about its readiness.
  • Private extinguising equipment, unit equipment, hand equipment, water pumps, etc.
  • Data processing and communication consisting of computer, internet network, global position system (GPS), handy talky (HT) and megaphone.
  • Means of transportation consists of personel carriers, equipment carriers, patroling vehicle.
  • Other supporting equipment, firefighting vehicles, and/or helicopter.
  • Reserve heavy equipment to anticipate possibilities of making firebreaks and blocking canals if necessary.
• Ensure availability of infrastructure:
  • Availability of reservoirs that are deep enough, impermeable and filled with water.
  • All canals, particularly in peat lands, are full of water and check all water sluices.
• Points no. 3 -7 are expected to have been prepared 2 months before the start of dry season based on forecasting of BMKG.
• When ready, conduct fire drills.
• Minimize all things that are potential to trigger fires in plantation areas.
  • Ensuring not to open lands with burning.
  • Conduct pruning of dry fronds and sanitasion of dried flowers.
  • Prevent spraying of weeds, especially in areas of immature plants and productive ones. The elimination of weeds should be conducted selectively and under control.
  • Ensuring all activities that are potential to cause fires are annihilated (burning of house garbages, disposals of boiler furnace to certain fields, etc).
  • Strongly warn workers and family members not to make fire, dispose cigarette butts recklessly while working or conducting other daily activities.
• Ensuring all notice boards on forest and land fires (causes, regulations, law, etc) are available and can be easily read in borderlines with public lands and inside own plantation areas as reminders for the workers.
• Conduct monitoring/intelligence to get information on potential fires in public lands and other activities and habits that are potential to cause fires.

External

• Refresh the coordination network of forest and land fires with the firefighting units such as the fire-care farmers group/fire-care villages, Manggala Agni, BNPB/BPBD, fire services and task forces of other companies, TNI-POLRI, village governments, police and village apparatus, etc.
• Conduct cooperation with local government, and related institutions regarding socialization of fire prevention.
  • Opening lands with burning should be avoided although allowed.
    • Do not make bonfires when fishing, and do not burn house garbages.
    • Join roll-calls and integrated patrols, and activities of forest fires command posts.
• Install notice boards on forest and land fires (causes, regulation, law, etc) on easily seen spots in own plantation areas.
• Conduct trainings for refreshment of competence for fire-care villages/fire-care society/fire alert.
• Conduct joint patrols periodically to find out potentiality of fires that will enable quick prevention.
• If there is any people persist to open lands by burning (still allowed by regulation), record their readiness and available license, report to village administration and MUSPIKA on the plan and tell them if there are still unfulfilled requirements and licenses to open lands with burning, with the hope that the govenment can prevent the burning.
• If the people persist to open the lands with burning without the presence of local officials from the village administration, district administration, and police, then the companies’ task forces should keep being alert, and report to village head, district head and local police head (Polres). (All should have documentations in the form of approval and activity report, and  approvals of reports from each level, village, district, police (Polsek/Polres) for anticipation in case fires spread into plantation areas).

V. GUIDELINES ON FIRES CONTROL AND EXTINGUISHING

If companies know or get informed about forest and land fire around their concessions, then they should quickly verify the report, ensure its coordinate and report to the authority and can be followed up to the coordination network of  forest fires through short message or contact the hotline of the ministry of environment and forestry:

0811-932-932, via internet or email: pengaduan@menlhk.go.id and ensure that reports are recorded, and all electronic documents must be saved.

If land clearings are underway in plantation areas, ensure all plannings and executions are in line with the prevailing regulations on land clearings without burning.

Ensure all administrative requirements are fulfilled and documents are saved.

In case of plantation areas catching fires, the following actions should be implemented:

• Isolate and control fires inside own plantation areas with own fire task forces until all under control. Task force head should involve on the field.
• Investigate the source of fire whether from inside or outside own plantation areas. If fire originated from outside, then a report of the fire incidence should be made in the police precinct (Polsek/Polres) and the report should be attached with efforts already undertaken. If the fire originated from inside, conduct an investigation to find out the persons responsible for the fire incidence and report to the management.
• In case of fires in the plantation areas could not be extinguished, the task forces should coordinate with the fire brigade and/or other firefighting units such as KTPA, Manggala Agni, local firefighting services or the fire task forces of other plantation companies. Concurrently, file report to the police precinct (Polsek/Polres), nearest BNPB/BPBD and record the person receiving the report and time of reporting.
• When the fire in the plantation areas already under control, operational supporting units can be reassigned to their previous posts.
• If the fire inside plantation area already under control while outside not yet under control, managers and fire tas force head should coordinate with the leaders who are in charge (BNPB/BPBD or DAMKAR) to help with 50 percent capacity of available firefighting units, while the other 50 percent assigned on standby in own plantation areas.
• Task force head arranges exchanges of officers assigned outside own plantation areas and inside own plantation areas.
• If needed, a part of the 50% team members assigned standby inside own plantation areas can assist fire extinguishing effort outside but still prioritize safety inside own plantation areas. Assistance given until fire outside under control.
• If fire already extinguished, the head of task force reports and resigns.
• The firefighting units make their reports of plantation fires according to the appropriate format.

VI. GUIDELINES AFTER FIRE INCIDENCE

• Task forces take inventory of all actions already undertaken from prevention (including plantation operation) up to the incidence of fires.
• Task forces take inventory of all actions (including plantation operation) that had been undertaken by companies regarding the forest and land fires.
• Task forces prepare report of equipment and facilities’ ’ readiness as the result of point IV A.6.
• Task forces prepare report of organization and personal readiness as the result of point IV.A.3.d. and ensure that the firefighting units are not on leave, assigned in other places or other circumstances.
• Task forces prepare report on activities of trainings (capacity building) for all members regarding the forest and land fires that had been implemented so far, including the activities of socialization/musters already implemented.
• Task forces collect report on treatment of toxic and dangerous wastes.
• Task forces take inventory of impacts of the fires, which include the fire location coordinate, burned land size, year of planting and map of location impacted and the chronology of actions taken to tackle the fires.
• Legal division needs to back up the task forces if needed to deal with further investigation.

VII. CLOSING

Considering the big impact of forest and land fires to companies, public and state, this Guidelines on Forest and Land Fires During Dry Season 2020 should be enforced with discipline to prevent our plantation areas from fire incidences and to minimize the incidences nationally.

Let us keep up our spirit and comply with all steps already designed. May God bless us all in pursuing our joint efforts.