Indonesia Grants Scholarship to Viral 'Superman' Firefighter
The Forestry Minister has offered a college scholarship to Rudiansyah, a Palangka Raya teenager who helps fight land fires dressed as Superman.
Indonesian Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has granted a scholarship to Rudiansyah, a 17-year-old Palangka Raya resident, for his role in combating forest and land fires while dressed as Superman. The teenager, who aspires to become a forest ranger, gained national attention after videos of him extinguishing foliage in his iconic costume went viral online, accumulating millions of views.
Raja Juli met with Rudiansyah during a field inspection and praised him as a hero who protects forests, a sentiment echoed by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who conveyed his commendation to Rudiansyah. The minister emphasized the essential role of community involvement in managing forest and land fires, highlighting that without such support, government efforts would be ineffective.
Rudiansyah, who has been assisting his father's volunteer firefighting group since 2023, demonstrated his commitment by wetting his outfit before operations and washing it nightly. The minister's gesture of providing a scholarship underscores the importance of local community participation in addressing wildfires, which have caused severe air pollution across Borneo island.
In addition to the scholarship, the Forestry Minister presented the local community with essential fire control equipment, including a water pump engine, hoses, nozzles, boots, firefighting gear, masks, and gloves. This support aims to enhance the community's ability to effectively combat fires during the critical haze season.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
