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On LA fire lines, inmates shoulder heavy packs and tackle dangerous work for less than $30 a day

Over 1,100 California inmates have worked around the clock to help fight Los Angeles-area fires that have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes

Tammy Webber,Dorany Pineda
Saturday 18 January 2025 09:32 EST

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Sal Almanza has worked 24-hour shifts in grueling terrain, cutting fire lines and hauling away brush trying to keep ahead of fires that have devastated several Los Angeles neighborhoods. But when the fires are finally out, he won't be going back to his family: He'll be returning to the prison ā€œfire campā€ where he's serving time for drunken driving that injured someone.

ā€œI wanted to do something positive while I was here,ā€ the 42-year-old said. ā€œSomething that would contribute back to the community and just help me feel better about my situation and right the wrongs that I did.ā€

Over 1,100 California inmates have been working around the clock in challenging conditions ā€” including howling winds and toxic smoke ā€” to help Cal Fire battle the Eaton and Palisades fires, the largest and most destructive of about a half-dozen fires that burned in the Los Angeles area in the past two weeks.

They become firefighters for the chance to cut time off their sentences, to get outside the prison walls and for training that might help them land a job once theyā€™re out.

But some say the inmates, many earning less than $30 a day for their efforts, deserve better after risking their lives: to be paid on par with other firefighters.

ā€œWe always talk about how itā€™s an injustice and weā€™ve never addressed it,ā€ said California Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, who introduced a bill this week that would pay inmates the same as the lowest-paid non-incarcerated firefighter on the frontlines. ā€œI think itā€™s appropriate for us to have a conversation about what equity looks like even in the midst of a natural disaster.ā€

Braving powerful winds and debris, crews cut fire lines around homes, cleared vegetation, removed propane tanks and anything else that could fuel the fire. The firefighters described carrying 45 to 65 pounds ā€” or more ā€” of gear while hiking for hours in steep, rugged terrain to cut containment lines to keep flames from spreading.

Almanza, who is serving a 4-year sentence at the minimum-security Fenner Canyon Conservation Camp, said the firefighting is physically demanding.

ā€œYouā€™re putting your (bodies) through things that you think they canā€™t go through and pushing them to the limit," he said.

At least 27 people have died in infernos that have destroyed more than 12,000 structures and left tens of thousands under evacuation orders. The fires are likely to be among the most destructive in California history, according to CalFire.

California began training inmates to help fight wildfires during World War II, when many men were deployed overseas. Today, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the state forestry department and the Los Angeles County fire department operate 35 ā€œfire campsā€ where inmates can become certified wildland firefighters.

When deployed, those firefighters earn from $5.80 to $10.24 a day, depending on experience, and an extra $1 an hour during active wildfires, according to the corrections department. That means the lowest-paid firefighters earn $29.80 per 24-hour shift.

Jeff Macomber, the Corrections secretary, called the inmate firefightersā€™ work ā€œan essential partā€ of the effort against the Los Angeles fires.

Corrections officials say the inmates volunteer and are aware of potential dangers.

The department did not answer an Associated Press query about how many have been killed or injured on the job, but Smithsonian Magazine reported in 2022 that at least four inmates had died in the preceding few years ā€” including one struck by a boulder and another in a chainsaw accident.

A 2018 Time investigation found that incarcerated firefighters were over four times more likely than professionals to suffer cuts, bruises or broken bones and over eight times more likely to have complications from inhaling smoke and other particles.

Joseph McKinney, another inmate battling flames in Los Angeles, said it's a risk he's willing to take.

ā€œWhen you realize youā€™re doing something ... for the greater good, youā€™re willing to put that sacrifice up," he said. "And not only that, I have a debt to pay to society and this is how Iā€™m choosing to pay it back.ā€

Bianca Tylek, executive director of the criminal justice advocacy group Worth Rises, questions whether incarcerated firefightersā€™ work is truly voluntary because California requires inmates to work. State voters in November rejected a measure that would have banned forced prison labor.

She says it's exploitative to offer low-paying firefighting jobs to those desperate to be on the outside and to shave time off their sentences.

But ā€œlabor is labor and ... should be compensated,ā€ Tylek said.

Sam Lewis, executive director of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, supports the fire camps but said it's ā€œsadā€ that it took ā€œa horrible tragedyā€ to spark a movement for better pay that has gained support from many residents, including celebrity Kim Kardashian.

ā€œIt brings light to the people that are incarcerated and how ... they come to serve the community that they may have harmed,ā€ he said. ā€œBut look at how theyā€™ve given back.ā€

His organization advocated for the development of an advanced training and certification program at the Ventura Training Center, which prepares parolees for firefighting careers. In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill giving paroled firefighters the chance to expunge their records to make it easier to find jobs.

Bryan said he hopes his bill can be expedited ā€” and perhaps made retroactive ā€” so inmates can be ā€œtreated with the dignity and respect they deserve.ā€ He said the money could come from emergency federal funding.

ā€œI think everybody who ... is risking their lives to save others is a hero, and that doesnā€™t matter whether youā€™re incarcerated or not,ā€ Bryan said. ā€œIf that is who you are, that is your character and that is what you demonstrate in the middle of a crisis ... the state of California owes you a debt of gratitude.ā€ ___ Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan. ___

The Associated Pressā€™ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP also receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APā€™s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. For all of APā€™s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.

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