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When Andony Corleto first joined the California State Safety Fire Collection Program as a prison prisoner, he knew that his criminal history banned him from working in any city, county, or state fire department at the time of his release.
“Thousands of people like me were tried for the fire, but they were only released and they were told it was worth nothing,” Koreto said. “We cannot abandon them. We cannot deny each year the persistent shortage of firefighters, particularly the fires that have created a record, while they work to keep us safe.”
Now, with the fire law, this could all change.
The act, introduced by Sydney Kamlager Dove and Judy Chew by California Democrats, will help fund vocational training, workplaces and mentoring opportunities to secure long-term employment for former prisoner firefighters. In addition to creating a pipeline for these workers, a route will also be launched to erase the criminal history of those who have successfully completed probation and re-entry.
At the beginning of the year, more than 1,000 inmates from the State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation helped fight the fires in Pallisard and Eaton. At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Judy Chu, representing Pasadena and Altadena, praised their acts of courage and spoke about unfair low wages.
“The fire may have gotten worse,” Chu said. “We’re such a dense area that we could have suffered more damage. But we stopped before we could burn more communities in my district, but we fought for days to put out those fires.”
Outside the LA County Stentorian Office, the Association of African American Firefighters, Democrat representatives gathered with local supporters in front of a cluster of television news cameras to share details of the newly introduced act. Coleto, who was released from custody about five years ago, and Royal Lamie, the CEO of the nonprofit forestry and fire recruitment program, shared her life and work experiences in the fire camps directly. They hope that if the act passes, it will bring a new sense of hope to those currently working in the fire service program.
Historically, incarcerated firefighters account for about 30% of California’s wildfire crew. According to the department’s website, depending on your skill level, you can currently earn $5.80 to $10.24 per day plus $1 per hour from CAL Fire.
The Department of Corrections and Department of Rehabilitation Conservation has 35 firefighters in California, with more than 1,800 inmates living and training. When they are not fighting fires or dealing with other disasters, they help maintain the state park. By joining the fire service, they get the opportunity to reduce their writing and earn a day or two of their trust for every day they work.
The bill introduced in Congress, officially known as fairness, inclusion, rehabilitation, and the expungement of the Incarcerated Firefighters Act, would provide incentives for other states to launch their own versions of fire camps. The law expands occupational safety insurance, recognizes incarcerated firefighters as employees entitled to wage protection, and allows the state to provide $20 million a year to adopt safety and wage compliance.
“The reality is that there are so many states fighting natural disasters, including fires. So why not do something humane and make sure everyone is protecting it? “I want to connect the California story to other countries.”
Kamlager-Dove “hopes” that the law will succeed despite the Republican-led Congress considering federal budget cuts.
“This is an administration that believes in second, third and fourth opportunities. We believe in redemption,” said Trump administration’s Kamlager Dove. “So we simply say we are expanding the lens of those who think you deserve red. I submit people who put their lives on the line every day, and the fires of battle deserve the same kind of attention.”
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