About 800 incarcerated firefighters are battling the unprecedented fires raging across Southern California, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. They join who have been dispatched to respond to multiple fires throughout the Los Angeles area.
California鈥檚 incarcerated firefighters have long provided critical support to state, local and federal government agencies in responding to various emergencies, including wildfires and floods.
Over 1,800 incarcerated firefighters live year-round in minimum-security conservation camps, also known as 鈥渇ire camps,鈥� located across 25 counties in California, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. in recent years due to a declining prison population.
鈥淲ildfires are a constant and formidable challenge for California, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations鈥� conservation fire camps remain dedicated to supporting the state鈥檚 response,鈥� said Jeff Macomber, secretary of California鈥檚 Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in a statement to CalMatters on Wednesday. 鈥淭he work of our incarcerated firefighters and staff is an essential part of this effort, and their commitment to protecting lives and property during these emergencies cannot be overstated.鈥�
The corrections department compensates incarcerated firefighters anywhere between $5.80 and $10.24 per day, depending upon experience. During active emergencies, the Cal Fire pays incarcerated firefighters an additional $1 per day, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Over the course of three fire seasons, Princess Griffen fought more than 30 fires. The 32-year-old, formerly incarcerated firefighter was based at the Rainbow Conservation Camp, which has since closed, when the Woolsey Fire in Malibu broke out in November 2018.
鈥淎t camp, when it got windy, we would sleep with our boots on,鈥� she said. She and her crew of 14 were deployed for two weeks. 鈥淚t felt like you were doing something that mattered instead of rotting away in a cell,鈥� she said.
Griffen paroled in July 2019. Today she lives in Inglewood, where she owns a tattoo shop. She pursued a career as an entrepreneur because she knew firefighting would require more time away from home. But for incarcerated firefighters who want to continue the work upon their release, Griffen says it鈥檚 difficult to get hired.
鈥淭hey look at our education like it doesn鈥檛 count,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or people who have found some kind of purpose or solace within firefighting, there needs to be a pipeline that goes straight from the prisons to firefighting. I鈥檇 urge the government to give inmates a second chance, considering that they are fighting these fires for pennies 鈥� risking their lives for pennies.鈥�