The army of firefighters battling the massive Southern California wildfires includes workers who could otherwise remain safely behind bars.
As of Thursday, 783 prison inmates have been deployed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to help contain the blazes, the department confirmed to CBS News. The crews of incarcerated firefighters are embedded with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) to assist its nearly 4,700 firefighters.
The imprisoned firefighters volunteer to participate in CDCR’s Conservation (Fire) Camps Program and are paid for their work. Participants supports state, local and federal government agencies when they respond to natural disasters.
CDCR operates 35 so-called fire camps across 25 different California counties. Two of the camps are for incarcerated women. They are minimum-security facilities staffed with correctional personnel who supervise camp participants 24 hours per day.
The department says inmates work cutting fire lines and removing fuel from behind structures to help slow fires’ spread. They can also serve in support roles at the camps, including cooking, laundry and water treatment plant operation.
Participation in the camps is voluntary, and those who join in must be deemed physically and mentally fit. Additionally, they must have no more than eight years remaining on their sentences. Convictions for rape and other sex offenses, as well as for murder, arson and some other serious crimes, disqualifies an inmate from participating.
How much do incarcerated firefighters make?
Imprisoned firefighters’ pay depends on their skill level. They earn between $5.80 and $10.24 per day, according to CDCR, which pays their wages. Wage levels doubled in 2023, up from between $2.90 and $5.12 per day.
Inmates in the program also earn supplemental pay while responding to emergencies. Cal Fire pays an additional $1 an hour, regardless of firefighters’ skill level. And when crews work a 24-hour shift, followed by a 24-hour period of rest, the lowest-skilled firefighter would earn $26.90 in a day.
Additionally, camp participants earn time credits toward their sentences. Specifically, most earn two additional days off their sentences for every day served on a fire crew.
Camp participants are eligible for employment with Cal Fire once they have served their sentences, a path many choose to take, according to CDCR. The department says some of these individuals have successfully transitioned to roles with Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service, and interagency hotshot crews.
As of Thursday afternoon, the fires had scorched more than 45 square miles across the Los Angeles area. At least five people are dead, and more than 179,000 Los Angelenos were under evacuation orders, according to officials.
contributed to this report.
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