Sarah Song- Opportunities for California's Inmate Firefighters

   For residents of California, it seems that every year we have a growing number of fires and this year is no different. Just last week, we’ve had the Kincaid Fire in Northern California, the Getty Fire in Los Angeles, the Tick Fire in Santa Clarita, and the Maria Fire in Ventura County. Not to mention the fires from the last couple of months. Needless to say, we’ve become accustomed to hearing news of fires and the many brave firefighters who risk their lives but…how often do we hear about the approximately 2,600 incarcerated men and women who fight fires alongside them?

(Paul Duginski/LA Times) Red Flag Warnings that lasted until Oct. 30th 

(Northern California) and Oct 31st (Southern California)

Background:

·  The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) works with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) and the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LAC Fire) to jointly operate 44 conservation camps, known as fire camps, in 27 counties across California.
·       According to the CDCR website, the primary mission of the Conservation Camp Program (CCP) is to support local, state, and federal government agencies when they respond to natural emergencies (fires, floods, hurricanes, etc.) and manmade disasters.
·       Approximately 3,700 inmates working are currently working at fire camps and of those, approximately 2,600 of them are fire line-qualified, meaning they are authorized to fight fires.
·       In the program, inmates receive the same entry-level training as Cal Fire’s seasonal firefighters. In addition, they receive ongoing training from Cal Fire throughout the time they participate in the program.
·       Participation in the program is voluntary. In order to volunteer, one must be of the lowest classification for inmates based on sustained good behavior during their time in prison and participation in rehabilitative programming. Conviction offenses that make an inmate automatically ineligible to participate are sexual offenses, arson, and any one with a history of escape with force or violence.
·       The Conservation Camp Program began in 1945.
·       According to Frontline, California’s inmate firefighters are trained as hand crews who hike into terrain that is too rough or steep for vehicles to travel and once there, they control spot fires or try to prevent them from spreading by clearing away anything that can burn from the fire.

Facts:

·      ·       Inmate firefighters earn between $2.90 and $5.12 per day and an additional $1 per hour if they’re working during active emergencies. According to Fortune Magazine, this additional dollar per hour is for their potentially life-threatening efforts. They are also given fresher food, more freedom, and two days off of their prison sentence for every one day served as a firefighter, known as 2-for-1 release credits.
·       This program saves California taxpayers $100 million per year.
·       In 2014, the state of California fought court orders  so that the 2-for-1 release credits could not be applied to other rehabilitation work programs, arguing that no one would want to join the fire camp if they could receive the same benefits doing a different, low risk job.
·       In the last 35 years, 6 incarcerated firefighters have died from injuries on job, containing fires. More alarmingly, between 2013 and 2018, more than 1,000 inmate firefighters were sent to the hospital for injuries sustained while working .Inmate firefighters were 4 times more likely to suffer from injuries like broken bones and cuts and 8 times more likely to suffer from particulate and smoke inhalation than their firefighter counterparts. 

Noah Berger/Associated Press

·       According to David Fathi, director of the ACLU National Prison Project, inmate firefighters are NOT covered by OSHA, cannot unionize for safer work conditions, and are largely unprotected by safety and occupational health laws that typically protect all other workers from dangerous working conditions.
·       During active fires, inmate firefighters work a 24 hour period, followed by a 24 hour rest period.
·       Cal Fire and LAC Fire crews consider inmate firefighters to be an asset.
·       Communities and those affected by fires express gratitude and appreciation for incarcerated firefighters.
·       Inmate firefighters, despite all of their training, dedication, and experience, are denied roles in fire departments after release. This is due to the fact that most fire departments require an EMT license which is nearly impossible to acquire with a felony record.
·       In February of this year, California Assemblymember Eloise Reyes introduced a bill (AB-1211 Firefighters) that seeks to change the rules so that released inmates’ firefighting careers may continue. The bill she introduced would allow former convicts to be able to join the California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship program. While the legislation is currently pending, the vote could come as early as January 2020.
·       Assemblymember Reyes believes that criminal conviction shouldn’t be a life sentence. Those who have made mistakes and demonstrated a concerted effort and commitment to rehabilitation should be given equal opportunities to strive and grow.

Personal Reflection

             When I first heard about inmates fighting fires in California, I was shocked. My knee-jerk reaction was that this was another example of the prison industrial complex at work. From what I began reading, I could surmise that incarcerated folks were being taken advantage of. After conducting research, I was right and wrong. While inmate firefighters are compensated and afforded some privileges for their firefighting work, it is not nearly enough. Considering that they are not only putting their lives at risk and aiding Cal Fire and LAC Firefighters, but also saving the homes and lives of thousands of Californians, $2.90-$5.12 per day is deplorable. To add insult to injury, once released from prison, these brave folks are not able to utilize their training, skills, and experience as official firefighters because of their felony convictions. These women and men are learning, growing, and risking their lives. I was relieved to read that there are organizations and government officials, like the ACLU and Assemblymember Reyes, who are actively working towards changing this injustice. I feel personally affected by this as a Californian because our state is taking advantage of people who are trying to change their lives in order to save money. I understand state government wants to save taxpayers money but it shouldn’t be done this way. Not only are inmate firefighters underpaid but they are not given the chance or even the option to pursue a career in the skills they’ve worked so hard to acquire. My call-to-action for all Californians is to first be conscious of inmate firefighters, pay attention to Assemblymember Reyes’s proposed legislation (AB-1211 Firefighters), and contact lawmakers to voice your concerns about the rights of inmate firefighters.

Community Supporters:

Scott Lee: "I think I remember hearing something about this last year but I didn't know it was this bad. To be honest, its really f****ed up that this is happening to people who are just trying to turn their life around. Especially since they're risking their life to do and be better. I live in Porter Ranch and had to evacuate a few weeks ago because of the fire here. Fires are happening way more often than ever. This has to change." 

Sue Larsen: "I'll make it short but wow...this is all new news to me. I moved to LA earlier this year from  near Sacramento and fires can be so destructive. Last year, the fires in Sonoma had a huge impact on the community. I volunteered to host a family who lost their home to the fires so I have definitely seen first hand how much fires can negatively affect people. Firefighters and first responders were seen as the superheroes. To know that inmate firefighters are paid next to nothing and not even able to become a firefighter once they're out of prison is just not right. It is not fair that they risk their lives to be treated that way. They literally paid their dues by serving time."

Grace Song: "I've read about this and am disgusted that this is allowed. I thought California could and would be more progressive. I live in East Bay and we have the Kincaid Fire this year and last year the Sonoma Fire was closeby. I think that was the largest fire in California history or something along those lines. To think that the inmate firefighters who fought those fires wouldn't be able to pursue a career is wrong and just sad."

References

Bill Text. (2019). Retrieved from https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1211.

Chapman, I. (2019, October 31). Prison inmates are fighting California's fires, but are often denied firefighting jobs after their release. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/31/us/prison-inmates-fight-california-fires-trnd/index.html.

Conservation (Fire) Camps. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/facility-locator/conservation-camps/.

Fathi, D. (2018, November 15). Prisoners Are Getting Paid $1.45 a Day to Fight the California Wildfires. Retrieved from https://www.aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/prisoners-are-getting-paid-145-day-fight-california-wildfires.

Goodkind, N. (2019, November 1). Prison Inmates Are Fighting California's Wildfires for About $3 a Day. Retrieved from https://fortune.com/2019/11/01/california-prisoners-fighting-wildfires/.

Todd, Z., & McMullen, J. (2019, November 1). "You Can Barely Breathe": The Inmates Who Fought California's Deadliest Wildfire. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/you-can-barely-breathe/.