Inmate Firefighters
Inmates said they were “mocked and ignored” when they told their supervisors of what would later be determined as second-degree burns and blisters
This August about 1,670 inmates are in fire camps, including staff like cooks and laundry workers, down about 40% from August 2019
With two felony convictions each, the two plaintiffs also cannot serve in many fire departments
With its $3.4M budget, the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program has trained more than 3,000 individuals and helped more than 140 get jobs in the fire service
It’s a question that comes up year after year, particularly during wildfire season
Prison officials agreed to correct a mistake related to good-conduct credit rules that had mistakenly extended sentences
State correctional officials said that minimum-security inmate Edgar Benitez, 25, was missing from his assigned housing at Growlersburg Conservation Camp
A flaw in the new good-conduct credit program caused some inmates’ sentences to be lengthened rather than cut short
The 31-year-old inmate, who had been on a CAL FIRE crew battling a wildfire outside Sacramento, drove the engine off the road and rammed it through a fence
Brian Dunn, attorney for Jacorey Shaw’s parents, says there was both negligence and a cover-up conspiracy involved in Shaw’s death investigation
One of the pardoned inmates had been seriously injured battling a wildfire last year
The bill encourages hiring of former inmate firefighters, requires education on post-release employment and establishes a peer mentorship program
The state seeks to drastically increase its number of inmate firefighters ahead of the next fire season
Less than half of the state’s inmate fire crews were available to fight record-breaking wildfires last summer
As part of the San Bernardino County FD’s pilot program, nine former inmates were hired to help reduce fuels and provide other fire-related services
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