JAKARTA – Bogor University of Agriculture (IPB University) inaugurated the Rainforests and Peatlands Fires Centre of Excellence, which is equipped with a fire simulator. It is the first of its kind in Southeast Asian region.
Developed under a cooperation between the faculty of forestry and environment of IPB University and Ambassade de France en Indonésie, the training center is aimed to provide training on tackling forest and land fires (Karhutla) in Indonesia.
Prof, Bambang Hero Saharjo, an expert on forest and land fires in Indonesia, said that the facility of fire simulator in IPB University is the only one found in Southeast Asia and a very important facility in increasing Indonesian capacity in tackling the forest and land fires in Indonesia.
The fire simulator has been launched by Environment and Forestry Minister Prof. Siti Nurbaya Bakar in March 2024.
“This is a big step for us all,” said Bambang, a professor of the forestry faculty at IPB University, as quoted by the university website on Sunday (30/06/2024).
He said that with the inauguration of the Rainforests and Peatlands Fires Centre of Excellence ini, IPB University has again stated its commitment to deal with challenges of forest and land fires , which have very often beset Indonesia.
“This facility is expected to become a center of excellence in providing traning of forest extinguishing and developing strategies to tackle forest and land fires in Southeast Asian region,” he said.
Attending the inauguration ceremony, Jean-Michel Dumaz, the Regional Civil Protection and Crisis Management Attaché Indopacific Countries at the French embassy in Singapore, also expressed appreciation on the training center.
“The fire simulator was developed under cooperation of IPB University and French embassy, which was initiated by Prof Bambang. This has shown his great attention in tackling forest and land fires in Indonesia,” said Jean.
During the occasion, drh Fitriya Nur Annisa Dewi, Ph.D of Global Connectivity Directorate of IPB University, said that the training center will prioritize technological advance in training the firefighting teams.
“But this facility can be also used for training students,” Jean said. (*)
Source: sawitku.id
