By Alice Redpill
In California, hundreds of incarcerated individuals are currently engaged in combating the wildfires threatening the Los Angeles area. Working 24-hour shifts for compensation as low as $26.90, which approximates just over $1 per hour. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has informed that it has assigned 395 prisoners to assist in these firefighting efforts. These inmate firefighters, classified as having “minimum custody” status, are embedded within the teams deployed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, alongside thousands of professional firefighters.
The CDCR, in collaboration with Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, operates 35 “fire camps” across 25 counties in California. Which are designated as minimum-security facilities. Participation in these firefighting crews is voluntary. Inmates utilize hand tools to aid in fire suppression and emergency response activities. As California confronts increasingly prolonged and destructive fire seasons due to the climate crisis; the state has historically relied on incarcerated personnel for wildfire management. At times, these inmate crews have constituted as much as 30% of the state’s wildfire response teams.
With regard to compensation, CDCR fire crew members earn daily wages ranging from $5.80 to $10.24. Contingent upon their skill level. With an opportunity to receive an additional $1 per hour during active emergency assignments. These crews can work 24-hour shifts in critical situations. Followed by a mandatory 24 hours of rest. The lowest-skilled firefighters earn $26.90.
Whereas the highest-skilled individuals may earn up to approximately $34 per shift. For context; California’s minimum wage is $16.50 per hour. With certain areas, such as West Hollywood, offering even higher rates. It is pertinent to note that California does not guarantee its inmates the state minimum wage! Some individuals earn as little as 16 cents per hour. Nevertheless, the $10.24 daily rate for the highest-skilled incarcerated firefighters ranks among the most competitive rates available for inmates in the state.
The CDCR, in collaboration with Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, operates 35 “fire camps” across 25 counties in California. Which are designated as minimum-security facilities. Participation in these firefighting crews is voluntary. Inmates utilize hand tools to aid in fire suppression and emergency response activities. As California confronts increasingly prolonged and destructive fire seasons due to the climate crisis; the state has historically relied on incarcerated personnel for wildfire management. At times, these inmate crews have constituted as much as 30% of the state’s wildfire response teams.
With regard to compensation, CDCR fire crew members earn daily wages ranging from $5.80 to $10.24. Contingent upon their skill level. With an opportunity to receive an additional $1 per hour during active emergency assignments. These crews can work 24-hour shifts in critical situations. Followed by a mandatory 24 hours of rest. The lowest-skilled firefighters earn $26.90. Whereas the highest-skilled individuals may earn up to approximately $34 per shift.
For context; California’s minimum wage is $16.50 per hour. With certain areas, such as West Hollywood, offering even higher rates. It is pertinent to note that California does not guarantee its inmates the state minimum wage! Some individuals earn as little as 16 cents per hour. Nevertheless, the $10.24 daily rate for the highest-skilled incarcerated firefighters ranks among the most competitive rates available for inmates in the state.
In addition to financial remuneration, fire crews participating in emergency responses receive “time credits” on a two-for-one basis. This means that for each day served on the crew, they accumulate two additional days toward their sentence reduction. The CDCR continues to actively engage in these firefighting initiatives. Underscoring its commitment to addressing the ongoing wildfire challenges in California. California isn’t the only state that has inmate firefighters. Last month, Washington state made headlines when an inmate escaped from a work camp and wounded himself with a gun during a standoff with police.
Inmate firefighters from Nevada have been drafted in to reinforce crews in California. Which is battling more fires than usual after a four-year drought. They also exist in Wyoming and Arizona – but California’s program is by far the biggest.
David Ball, an assistant professor in criminal justice at the Santa Clara University School of Law, says inmate firefighters are part of a long history of prison labor in the US. Pointing out that when Congress passed the 13th Amendment in 1865, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, it made a specific exclusion for penal servitude by including the phrase “except as a punishment for crime”.
Some people see the use of inmates in this way as exploitative, he says, but while prisoners are not in a good bargaining position, they do volunteer.
Earnhart, an inmate fighting the fires, agrees it’s no holiday.
“I wouldn’t say we are slaves, but I’ve never worked this hard in my life,” he says.
But he credits the program with giving him a new sense of purpose.
“People know we are inmate firefighters because we are in orange, but they cheer you on because you are out there protecting people’s homes. They put up ‘thank you’ banners and bring apple pie – it’s such a good feeling,” he says.”I get an adrenalin rush every time the sirens go off and we go out on fires,” he says.
In two months, he will be released and is thinking of applying to become a hotshot. An elite team of firefighters specially trained to deal with wildfires.
Cal Fire says it’s possible for inmate firefighters to make the transition, but cannot say how many have done it. What do you ya’ll think?! Do you feel the prisoners feel exploited or bribed into putting their lives on the line?
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