More than 1,000 incarcerated firefighters assist in the L.A. blazes for $1 per hour

Among those on the front lines against the fires – Palisades and Eaton – that have burned across the Los Angeles area are approximately 1,100 trained firefighters who are currently serving prison sentences. Around 50 of these firefighters are between the ages of 18 and 25, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told the Guardian. 

“As of today, there are 1,116 Fire Camp firefighters and 138 CDCR staff assisting CAL FIRE with the wildfires in Southern California,” CDCR said on Instagram Wednesday.

Public scrutiny of the use of incarcerated firefighters has grown over the last week, as their role in the city’s emergency response has become more visible. Proponents of the practice point out that the job is voluntary and highly sought-after. These inmates are housed in separate, minimum-security facilities called Conservation Camps, and receive training in addition to shortened sentences.

However, the low pay and high risk associated with the position have stirred controversy. Inmates employed in a Conservation Camp are paid a base stipend of between $5.80 and $10.24 per day, with another $1 added for each hour in which they are actively responding to emergencies.

Some shifts can run for up to 24 hours, paying $34.24 at most. They are then followed by periods of rest lasting another 24 hours. By contrast, entry-level non-incarcerated wildland firefighters make a monthly base salary of up to $4,643, with the potential for thousands of dollars in overtime pay, according to Cal Fire.

Meanwhile, four inmates have been killed in recent years while fighting or training to fight wildfires, Smithsonian Magazine reports. An investigation by Time showed that incarcerated firefighters are more likely than their non-incarcerated counterparts to become injured on the job. More than 1,000 of them were hospitalized between 2013 and 2018, according to the article.

It can also be difficult for former prisoners to find jobs which match their training once their sentences end. Though the Conservation Camps Program offers enrollees the qualifications they need to land entry-level positions at wildland firefighting agencies, many of these roles require a clean criminal record.

AB 2147, signed into law in 2021, allows Conservation Camp participants to apply to have their criminal records expunged. But the bill does not cover those convicted of violent offenses. Nor does it guarantee their application will be accepted.

In November, Californians voted down Proposition 6, which would have banned slavery and involuntary servitude in prisons. While Conservation Camps are officially voluntary, they return inmates who need time off to prison, which would likely violate the proposed law.

For as long as the current fires last, prisoners will continue to be among their most important fighters.