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prisoners in firefighters California There will be higher wages and the state will create permanent fire camps that will train and educate young offenders under two laws signed into law by the government. Gavin Newsom,
California state agencies and los angeles The county fire department runs 35 “fire camps” where inmates train to become certified wildland firefighters. More than 1,100 prisoner firefighters worked with state firefighters to stop a wildfire in Los Angeles earlier this year that destroyed neighborhoods and killed at least 30 people.
The Young Offender Program is run in the foothills of Pine Grove Conservation Camp and Grolsberg Conservation Camp. Sierra NevadaSpecially trains prisoners under the age of 25 to fight forest fires. Participants also receive education and guidance. The program began as a pilot project in 2023 and will now become permanent.
Damian Rubalcava, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to 14 years in prison, said the program has given him purpose and peace. The 25-year-old father of two said his involvement means he will now be out in 2029 instead of 2036, and he will be ready to continue helping others.
“At one time I was causing a lot of harm to my own community,” he said. “Now is my time to shine and give back.”
The second law signed by Newsom on Monday raises prisoner firefighter wages to the minimum wage during active emergencies — currently $7.25 an hour. Currently, inmate firefighters earn between $5.80 to $10.24 per day and an additional $1 per hour during active wildfires. This means the lowest paid firefighters make less than $30 per 24-hour shift.
Inmates serve time from their sentence, get out of the prison walls, and train to become firefighters for training that can help them get a job after they get out.
Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, who authored the bill, said, “Nobody who puts their life on the line for other people should earn less than the federal minimum wage.”
This is a documentary photo story curated by AP Photo editors.