The 2018 California wildfire season has proven to be one of the most destructive seasons in state history, with almost 8,000 fires burning through an area of over 1.8 million acres. The Woolsey and Camp Fires, both of which started on Thursday, November 8, and were completely contained by Sunday, November 22 and Thursday, November 25 respectively, swept through both Northern and Southern California and caused highly toxic air quality for the cities caught in between. Air quality slowly returned to normal as rain arrived on Wednesday, November 21 in the San Francisco Bay Area and other parts of Northern California. 91 deaths have been accounted for from both wildfires, the majority from Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire California has witnessed. Thousands of people remained displaced as houses, offices, whole towns and cities have been burned to the ground. Even though both fires have been contained, the destruction is not over as civilians are now preparing to face the consequences of the fire in the forms of mudslides and flash floods. California has deployed over 9,400 firefighters to fight the flames, but 1,500 of them have been inmates, serving as firefighters through California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Conservation Camp Program.
The Conservation Camp Program’s objectives are to support government agencies as they respond to emergencies such as wildfires and earthquakes and in the time of non-emergency, take part in conservation and community service projects such as reforestation. As a reformative program created after World War II, they aim to teach prisoners authentic job skills to succeed post-incarceration. Inmates can volunteer to work as support staff for the camps or as part of the firefighting sector if they are classified as “minimum custody”, a status that they can attain through good behavior while serving their time in prison. In addition, their conviction offenses must be reviewed, and those such as sexual or arson offenses are immediately disqualified to volunteer. Adults (18 and older) who choose to partake in firefighting must be trained at certain centers, and in return for their service, for every day the inmates participate, their sentence is reduced by two days. Inmates also receive an income of $2 a day, with an additional $1 per hour if they are on duty for a 24 hour shift during an active fire in comparison with a regular firefighter in California who on average, earns $33.36 hourly.
3,700 inmates are working at 44 fire camps across the state currently, adding to the total of three million hours of emergency response annually by inmates, thus, saving the state over $90 million. However, inmates must be careful as it is dangerous work; over 1,000 inmate firefighters have needed hospital care between 2013 and 2018 as they are more likely to get injured by objects and inhaling smoke and/or particulates. Despite the dangers and the low pay, many are grateful for the experience as it has provided them a stronger work ethic and a new purpose. Once they have been freed from jail though, their new purpose becomes a near-impossible goal as many fail to receive the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license until ten years after being released, which is required by most of California’s 900 fire departments even though they had been trained, receiving the entry-level training that seasonal firefighters receive from California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CALFIRE) both before and during the emergency. If a former inmate does receive their EMT certificate, fire departments also do not have to honor them. Furthermore, some fire departments, such as the one located in Bakersfield, California, immediately rules out a candidate if they had been convicted of a felony. On the other hand, if former inmates want to serve as a volunteer firefighter and work alongside paid firefighters, some centers will allow it, a reason why many critics of this practice have coined it “modern slavery.” Critics and reformers are insistent on the fact that finding a stable job post-incarceration is essential to keep the cells empty, and they have the numbers to back their claim — Manhattan Institute found a 20% reduction from the 76.6% recidivism rates (within five years of release).
Experts are now claiming disastrous wildfires as the new norm for California. Many released prisoners are quietly suffering from the restrictions as their hard work has gone unnoticed by the public. Their determination and willingness to better themselves and stay out of prison is there, but will the government meet them in the middle in time for the next California wildfire?
Photo Credits: Rich Pedroncelli, The Sacramento Bee
