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State Prisoners Again Deployed to Fight California Fires

Crime and Justice News

Once again, as California battles wildfires, hundreds of incarcerated firefighters are helping battle the fires, the Guardian reports. The California department of corrections and rehabilitation (CDCR) said on Wednesday that it had deployed 395 imprisoned firefighters across 29 crews while the county fights multiple out-of-control blazes fueled by extreme winds and dry conditions. The incarcerated crews are embedded with the California department of forestry and fire protection (Cal Fire) and its nearly 2,000 firefighters, who have been stretched thin from several simultaneous emergencies.


CDCR operates more than 30 “fire camps” across the state where people serving state prison sentences are trained in firefighting and support authorities as they respond to fires, floods and other disasters. The sites, also called conservation camps, are considered minimum-security facilities. The CDCR crews have at times accounted for as much as 30% of the wildfire force in the state. The fire camp wages are meager, but are considered high-paying jobs behind bars, with CDCR firefighters earning between $5.80 and $10.24 a day and an additional $1 per hour when responding to active emergencies. When responding to disasters, they may earn $26.90 over a 24-hour shift, according to CDCR. Participants must have eight years or less on their sentence, and some convictions, including sex offenses and arson, are disqualifying.

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