Joseph McKinney, Joseph Sevilla, and Sal Almanza wake up around 4 a.m. every other day, eat breakfast at their base camp in Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, and then head out to fight one of Los Angeles’ most destructive fires. heading towards the San Gabriel Mountains. County History.
Firefighting tasks for the fire department are assigned daily by the captain and include containment efforts to stop the spread of fire, defending structures, and clearing dry vegetation. The men work 12- or 24-hour shifts, with the latter taking the next day off to recuperate at base camp.
Although McKinney, Sevilla and Almanza perform the same tasks as other first responders, they are not professional firefighters. The three are being held at Fenner Canyon Conservation Camp 41. The camp is a medium-security prison located in Valliermo, an unincorporated area of L.A. County in the Antelope Valley, that houses people convicted of crimes such as arson, robbery, and assault.
The men are participants in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Conservation Fire Camp Program, which operates 35 fire camps across the state. Participants will respond to natural disasters such as wildfires and floods. When I’m not dealing with emergencies, I help with park maintenance and sandbagging.
As of Friday, more than 1,100 incarcerated firefighters were battling the Palisades and Eaton fires. The fire claimed at least 27 lives and is becoming one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history. Historically, incarcerated firefighters have made up up to 30% of California’s wildfire forces.
Incarcerated firefighters at Fenner Canyon Conservation Camp 41 earn between $5.80 and $10.24 per day, plus an additional $1 per hour from Cal Fire during emergencies.
(Pedro Calderon Michel)
“This is the first time we’ve seen damage of this scale,” McKinney said. “We’re usually at the scene of wildfires where mountains are burning, so we’re not used to seeing situations like that. But here we’ve had so much loss that to see this… It’s really devastating.”
The men initially entered the program to try to shorten their sentences. Depending on your sentence, you will earn one or two days’ credit for each day you work. However, some of them found their work rewarding and the opportunity to pursue a career path after leaving the company.
Almanza originally tried to get into firefighting about 10 years ago, but it didn’t work out.
“I thought how funny that I ended up in a situation that I really wanted to be in a long time ago,” the 42-year-old said. “I’ve come full circle.”
Before his incarceration, 23-year-old Sevilla held jobs ranging from biotech companies to fast food restaurants. Upon his release, he plans to pursue a career as a wildland firefighter.
“I ended up falling in love with it,” he said. “You have to be out here in the wilderness. You can get outside and move around. It means that in addition to being healthy and getting physical exercise, you can contribute to your community and help people. It’s also a mental exercise for you to feel like you’re doing something good for others.”
For McKinney, working on the front lines is a real challenge. The 44-year-old once lived above the Crown City pawn shop in Old Town Pasadena. He remembers the moment he was fighting a fire at Mount Wilson Observatory, looking out across the black smoke and wondering if the fire would ever stop.
Most of all, the men say they are grateful for the outpouring of support from the local community.
“It was very positive for us psychologically,” McKinney said. “When you are incarcerated, you may feel alone at times and feel left out by your community and society. It shows what can be done.”
To be eligible for the program, participants must have eight years or less remaining on their sentence, be physically and mentally fit for the required duties, and have no known history of arson, rape, or desertion. The condition is that you have not been convicted of a specific crime.
The program has been criticized primarily for the wages incarcerated firefighters receive ($5.80 to $10.24 per day), plus $1 per hour from Cal Fire during emergencies. facing. The program has also been criticized for associated health risks and for the belief that the program exploits firefighters with “forced labor.”
From left: Joseph McKinney, Joseph Sevilla, Sal Almanza.
(Pedro Calderon Michel)
A study by the ACLU and the University of Chicago Law School found that incarcerated personnel are more likely to be injured than professional firefighters. At least four incarcerated firefighters died on the front lines, and more than 1,000 required hospital treatment over a five-year period, according to the ACLU report.
The path to becoming a firefighter after leaving prison is not clear. For example, it can be difficult to get a job with a local government fire department. This is because firefighters must be certified as emergency medical technicians. That’s because California law prohibits felons from qualifying.
In 2020, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2147 to help expunge the criminal records of non-violent offenders who participate in fire suppression programs. Rep. Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) also recently introduced AB 247, which would increase the pay of incarcerated firefighters by giving them the same pay as minimum-wage non-incarcerated firefighters.
Supporters of the program stress that participation is voluntary and provides future career opportunities for inmates. The Department of Corrections says incarcerated firefighters are working with Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service and other leading fire services. Cal Fire also partnered with the Department of Corrections, the California Conservation Corps, and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition to develop an 18-month training and certification program at the Ventura Training Center.
When not fighting fires, the men spend their downtime at base camp resting, eating, showering, and doing laundry. You can also call friends and family from a shared phone, which is still not possible if you’re on the front lines of a fire.
But corrections officials said they are evaluating new technology to allow men to bring cellphones and make calls while fighting fires.
Firefighters can fight fires for weeks at a time, making it difficult to communicate with loved ones. Almanza said she was recently able to call her 12-year-old son, whose birthday is in two days.
“Before I left, I had to tell him that I love him and that I might not be able to celebrate his birthday,” he said.
Inmates backfire into heavy brush along Madera Road as firefighters try to stop the Easy Fire from crossing the road in Thousand Oaks, California, on October 30, 2019.
(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
The Los Angeles-based Anti-Recidivism Coalition has launched a fundraiser to support incarcerated firefighters and has raised more than $40,000 as of Friday, executive director Sam Lewis said. .
“The great thing about this terrible tragedy is that it brought unity throughout Los Angeles County,” Lewis said. “People lost a lot in these two fires.”
Lewis said the money will go towards meals, toiletries, equipment and replacing shower facilities at one of the camps. Any remaining money goes to inmates’ commissary accounts or to scholarships for formerly incarcerated firefighters.
“This is a way for us to say we appreciate the public putting themselves at risk to protect our property,” Lewis said. “They are literally fighting this fire that has taken so much from so many people.”
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