Why prison workers play a key role in the fight against California fires | The news of the prison

Los Angeles, California – As a series of wild fire fires caused unprecedented destruction in southern California, fire teams made up of currently and earlier closed individuals were at the helm of the fight to restrain flames.

The California Fire Program has long been criticized for relying on closed workers, facing low wages and dangerous conditions.

But the pronouns of the program point out that in recent years, the state has taken steps to expand the possibilities for closed firefighters to continue their career on the field after release.

Brian Conrogy, Captain of the Cal Fire State Fire Department, recently led the crew of former closed firefighters in the fight against fire Kenneth and Palisades’ fire north of Los Angeles.

One windy morning in mid -January, explained that about 432 people went through a certification program for fire attacks for people who had taken place at the Ventura (VTC) training center since October 2018.

“This program is unique,” said Conroy, a tall, depressed man in a dark blue fiery uniform.

“These guys work well under pressure because they lived life under pressure.”

Closed work

About 1,747 closed workers live in a network of 35 “fire camps”, according to the California Office of the Legislative Analyst (LAO). Camps are jointly managed by Cal Fire, California Department for Repair and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and Los Angeles Fire Department.

In camps, individuals learn fire skills, such as cleaning a brush and handling heavy equipment to create fire lines. They also undergo strong physical training needed for towing almost 30 pounds (65 lb) equipment through California sometimes steep, heavy terrain.

The role of closed people in state efforts on firefighters is significant: while figures can vary until the year, closed firefighters can make as many as 30 percent of the state fire forces.

Program supporters note that those who participate can also shave the time from their sentences.

They also say that spending time outdoors, engaged in a community’s business, an attractive alternative to banal routines of prison life. Conroy explained that many have found the work of fighting fires that fill and exciting.

“If you are talking to some of the people from these crews, they will tell you that this is the best thing that has ever happened to them,” Conroy said.

Explosive fires

But the work is arduous and sometimes dangerous. And the use of prison workers offers significant savings for the costs of the state, which leads to the supervision of the motivations behind the program.

“The animal of closed people are not consumables,” said Amika Mota, Executive Director of Coalition for freedom of the Warriors sisters, UA advocacy group statement on Monday.

The motto itself was a closed firefighter, and her organization hopes to encourage greater fire security for all people in California prisons. She pointed out that when the fires approach prisons, the authorities sometimes slowly move people inside from harm.

“They deserve security as much as the rest of the affected community,” she said.

Critics also indicate a salary deviation as one of the shortcomings of a fire program.

Closed workers are only paid a fraction of salaries receiving crews that have not been abolished. They receive between $ 5.80 and $ 10.24 a day, which can be increased by $ 1 for an hour when they are distributed to the fire fight.

However, even with this choice, daily wages are only $ 29.80 in 24 hours of work.

For comparison, the monthly basic salary for the employee Cal Fire is between $ 3,672 and $ 4,643, with an additional $ 1,824 to $ 2,306 for a “extended owed fee” – an expression for hours worked outside the usual schedule.

Critics also notice the need for additional hands on the fire line, making a prison labor even more attractive to state officials.

The Californian fire season is now throughout the year. January, for example, is usually not when the state sees a strong fire activity, but months without rain have created conditions for the growth of explosive fire in the shrub of the southern region.

On January 7, Palisade and Eaton fires broke out. The official cause of the fire remains unknown, but the early guesses have fallen on defective electrical equipment.

Winds strong 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) helped to flame, making them almost impossible to restrain. They expanded through the coastal neighborhood of the Pacific Palisada and the historically black community of Altadena, leveling buildings with their paths.

According to Cal Fire, the fire Eaton and Palisades are now classified as second and third destructive in state history, with 9.418 and 6,662 buildings destroyed. At least 17 people were killed in Eaton flame, along with 11 in Palisades.

“The devastation is a very heavy pill for swallowing everyone who has been doing it for a long time,” Conroy said. “When someone loses the house, it’s not just a house. That’s all they lose to it. These are the memories of childhood, the pictures on the wall.”

But the status of workers who are tasked with containing flames – and the compensation they receive for it – remains a matter of lasting discussion in California.

Legislative steps

State legislation has taken some steps in recent years to change the closed firefighter program, in response to some criticism.

In September 2020. Governor Gavin News was signed by the Bill AB 2147, who allowed the previously closed firefighters from the history of non -violent criminal offenses.

This, in turn, opens them with opportunities to continue their careers that their criminal letters could interfere with, including professional firefighting and emergency services.

Senator Eloise Gomez Reyes, who sponsored that bill, said Al Jazeera in a statement e -later that legislation tries to “ensure that after fire skills developed in closed persons who were then offered the opportunity to continue to serve their community as full -time Firefighters ”.

This month, the Isaac Bryan State Assembly also introduced the legislation that would require closed firefighters to be paid the same hourly salary as the smallest paid firefighter.

The proposal of the law could be heard in the fiscal committee of the legislative body as early as February 15th.

Andrew Hernandez, a 41-year-old who finished the program at the Ventura Training Center, and recently sent a job request to Cal Fire, said that when he first entered prison, he never imagined he would become a firefighter.

“Not in a million years I would have assumed,” he laughs, calling the program “changing life”.

“Some of us made bad decisions. Some of us did bad things. But I want to straighten out the playground. I want to do something to come back.”